Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?

In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees (学费). As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan (贷款) in order to go to university.

They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.

The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around $12,000 (122,952yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach the April after graduating. If you start to earn over $ 15,000 (153,639yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.

You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.

All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year (2008).”

“Student poverty” is now considered a real problem. Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?

61. What makes British students question the worth of a university degree?

A. Higher university expenses.                 B. Lower education quality.

C. A higher interest rate on student loans         D. Grater difficulty obtaining student loans.

62. According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. University tuition fees in all parts of Britain have been on the rise since 2006.

B. Interest on a student loan starts as soon as the student receives it.

C. People have always questioned the worth of a university degree.

D. University graduates need to pay off their loans right upon graduation.

63. Which of the following is NOT a factor that concerns a British university graduate?

A. Fierce competition in the job market.         B. The burden of a large debt.

C. Lack of experience.                       D. Fewer job openings.

64. What is the title of this passage?

  A. Student poverty                         B. Is college worth it?   

C. The UK government started to charge students tuition fees.

D. British students use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses.

In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bicycles to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.

For several years this group has been trying to get the city government to help bicycle riders. For example, they want the city to draw special lanes（车道）for bicycles only on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.

But no bicycle lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea—they say it will slow traffic. Some storeowners on the main streets don’t like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.

The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park—the largest place of open ground in New York—is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only.

But Bike for a Better City says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown.

65. In New York, a group of bike riders______.

A. are keeping practising for health

B. have no cars of their own

C. are complaining（埋怨）there are not enough buses

D. are trying to settle the problem of air pollution

66. The bike riders suggest that______.

A. bicycles should be used instead of cars

B. bicycle lanes should be drawn

C. fewer buses or cars should be used

D. the number of special lanes should be increased

67. The advantage of the special lanes is that______.

A. they will make cars and buses run slowly

B. they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks

C. they will make the city more beautiful

D. the lanes will prevent accidents

68. The government has not decided whether special lanes should be drawn______.

A. so that everyone is disappointed

B. because there are different opinions

C. because most people travel by train

D. because Bike for a Better City is not strong enough

Editor,

I’m now busy in preparing for the Postgraduate (研究生) Entrance Exam. A few days ago, I happened to see some new guidebooks for those who want to take next year’s exam. With too many hopes and without taking it into too much consideration, I bought several that were written by some known for helping candidates (应试者) for master’s degrees.

What made me really angry was the starting discovery that the contents of those books were almost exactly the same as some I had bought before. There were only superficial (外表的) changes in their covers, with more attractive new titles and better designs. The contents were the same.

People say that the publishing industry is in a state of chaos (混乱) these days but I used to be doubtful abut that. I was of the opinion that only people of noble character, prestige (威望), and exceptional talent would produce books for higher education. But these editors are caring little about their readers.

I hope that authors and publishing houses will be more responsible for their readers. Don’t destroy the image that you have with your readers.

68. The writer bought some guidebooks in order to ___________________________.

   A. write an essay on guidebooks          B. prepare for the entrance exam

   C. give his students a lecture             D. send them to his good friends

69. The writer was angry because _________________________________________.

   A. there were a lot of printing mistakes in the books that he had bought

   B. the books were so expensive that he couldn’t afford any of them

   C. he found the books he had bought were thin but of poor quality

   D. the books had the same contents as what he had bought before

70. In the writer’s opinion, publishers should be _____________________________.

   A. responsible      B. kind-hearted       C. hard-working      D. creative

71. It can be inferred (推断) from the letter that ______________________________.

   A. the writer used to think that the publishing industry is in disorder

   B. some publishers publish books only to make more money

   C. most publishers are very responsible for their readers

   D. the writer thought books could only be produced by experts

You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another Earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.

ABC means American-Born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside—thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside—looking like a Chinese.

Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese.

But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas (海外) Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair.

But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not the people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist  C.N. Yang(杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. The Chinese love him, but he is an American citizen.

60.What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A. He wants to tell us something about “ABC”.

B. He wants to show that Chinese are well respected in America.

C. He wants to tell us some knowledge about the English language.

D. He wants to introduce the American culture to us.

61. Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because ____.

A. their bodies are white inside but yellow outside

B. they think like Westerners but look like Chinese

C. they were born in China but go to study in America

D. they like to eat bananas

62. C.N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ____.

A. American Chinese are great.        B. we love American Chinese

C. The Chinese can win Nobel Prizes   D. American Chinese are not Chinese citizens

“If I had one million yuan, I would buy you a palace! Do I have one million yuan? No, I don’t! so I only can spend ten fen(分) on this short message, sending you my best wishes! ”

Today, SMS—Short Message Service is popular, and China Mobile says that every second, there are 410 messages being sent.

Look around you! People are watching their mobiles, smiling or laughing. Thumbs are pressing buttons, bring happiness to their friends. The humor of the words shows how beautiful language is! Through SMS, we know the weather report, share jokes and news, express love and friendship.

“Thumb Culture” is becoming more and more popular. It is reported that 67% of young people like to “Short” to greet each other. Internet SMS will provide more convenience to people. I am grateful for the progress because SMS saves me much money. Just on the tip of thumb, so much joy can be found!

40. The first paragraph is a(n) __________.

A. email                         B. short message           C. piece of news           D. story

41. What can people do through SMS?

A. Buy a palace.                               B. Provide food.

C. Learn foreign language.                      D. Send messages.

42. The people are smiling and laughing when sending messages because they_________.

A. save much money                            B. know the weather report

C. enjoy the happiness of SMS                    D. have one million yuan

43. The writer thinks that_________.

A. SMS helps people a lot                       B. people can find joy on the Internet

C. greeting can cost much money                  D. thumb has become a kind of culture

The spread of worsening international financial crisis has seriously affected world economic growth and stability. The ongoing financial crisis is rarely seen in history. Countries and organizations have taken measures in response, and we hope these measures will produce the desired results soon. Countries in Asia and Europe are an important force for international financial stability and world economic growth. I suggest that we make greater efforts in the following aspects:

First, countries should run their own affairs well. In the face of the crisis, it is important for leaders to act in the fundamental and long-term interests of the people and use necessary monetary and regulatory tools to regain market confidence as soon as possible and maintain economic growth.

Second, set up coordination（调和）and cooperation among governments. The financial departments, central banks and financial regulators around the world should closely follow the development of the crisis and study its trend and impact.

Third, strengthen regional financial dialogue and cooperation. Members of the Eurozone have reached agreement on the basic principles to tackle the financial crisis. We in Asia are also exploring the possibility of expanding the size of bilateral currency swap（互惠外汇信贷）arrangements under the 10+3 framework .

Fourth, push forward the reform of the international monetary and financial systems. The present crisis has exposed the weaknesses in the existing international financial system and governance structure. It important to do three things in this regard: first, increase the say and representation of developing countries in international financial organizations; second, expand the space of the regulation of the international financial system, and third, establish a reasonable global financial rescue mechanism（机制）.

56．According to the passage, members of the Eurozone reached agreement on            .

A．how to deal with the financial crisis          B．how to regain market confidence

C．how to maintain economic growth           D．how to study the crisis trend

57．Facing the crisis, the first thing the countries should do is                .

A．to closely follow the development of the crisis.

B．to study the trend and impact of the financial crisis.

C．to do their own business well.

D．to increase the say and representation of developing countries in international financial

organizations.

58．Which word has the same meaning with the underlined word maintain ?

A．mainly         B．keep          C．increase          D．decrease

59．According to the passage, which of the following sentence is false?

A．Global issues included energy, food, the environment etc.

B．There has been no financial crisis more serious than this one in history.

C．Facing the crisis, the first thing the countries should do is to do their own business well.

D．Asian and European countries are an important force for the world economic growth.

60．The passage mainly talks about                .

A．What we should do during the financial crisis.

B．We should draw serious lessons from the financial crisis.

C．Countries and organizations have taken measures in response to the financial crisis.

D．We should set up coordination and cooperation among governments.

Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive (欺骗)? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.

   For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery (彩票). It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”

   This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. We then discover that he bought $200 worth of tickets, and only one was a winner. He’s really a big loser!

   He didn’t say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That’s called a half-truth. Half-truths are not lies, but they are just as dishonest.

   Some politicians often use this trick. Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents(对手) says, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true. However, and honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”

   Advertisers(广告商) will sometimes use half-truths. It’s against the law to make false statements so they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.

   This kind of deception happens too often. It’s a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.

67. How much did the lottery winner lose?

   A. One hundred dollars.                                 B. Two hundred dollars.

   C. Three hundred dollars.                                D. Four hundred dollars.

68. We may infer (推断) that the author believes people should _______.

   A. buy lottery tickets                                              B. make use of half-truths

C. not trust anything without careful thoughts         D. not trust the Yucky Company

69. What do the underline words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?

   A. big advantage.      B. large share.      C. total loss.             D. final increase.

70. What can we know from the example of the Yucky Pill advertisement?

A. False statements are easy to see through.   B. Half-truths are often used to mislead people.

C. Doctors like to act in advertisements.      D. Advertisements are based on facts.

第五部分：书面表达（满分15分）

   假如你叫Li Hua, 你的好友Zhou Ling 给你来信。信中说，她经常为自己肥胖的身材而自惭形秽。为了有一个苗条的身材，她服用了减肥药，并开始节食。刚开始收效明显，很快，情况发生了变化：她感觉精力不足，后来甚至出现了肝脏衰竭。请你给她写一封回信，分析现状，提出建议。

注意：不要逐条翻译；词数120左右；开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Zhou Ling,

 I’m sorry to learn that you have suffered a lot. …

                                                                      Yours

                                                                  Li Hua

作为中学生，你肯定经历过多次考试，体验过成功，也遭遇过失败。请你根据提示内容，简要概述中学生中普遍存在的对待考试失败的两种态度，并结合自身实际，写一篇英语短文来说明你的观点。

要求：1．包含所给要点； 

      2．词数150左右。

      3．语意要连贯；不能列成表格形式。

2009年6月，江苏省教育厅下令，严禁中小学利用双休日和节假日补课，这给中学生带来了许多好处，但同时也引发了一些问题。请你就此谈谈自己的看法。

注意：1、词数：150左右。2、足够的时间adequate time 上瘾 be addicted to 耗费exhaust 过度的excessive 交替alternate 3、开头已经给出，不计入总词数。

In June, 2009, Jiangsu Education Office issued an order requiring all schools in Jiangsu Province to stop having lessons on weekends and holidays.

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