Even leaders pay tax

As the president of the US, Barack Obama earns a salary(薪水) of around $400,000 a year. But his income(收入) for 2008 was far more than that, according to the White House.

The White House recently published the tax returns of Obama and vice-president Joe Biden. Tax returns are reports of tax a person has to pay. They often include income information used to calculate（计算）the tax. In the US, people whose incomes are over a certain amount have to file (申请) tax returns every year. The tax returns of government officials are open to the public. This transparency (透明) helps to prevent corruption (腐败).

From Obama's tax returns, we can see that the president and first lady Michelle made about $2.66 million in 2008.

Most of the money came from the sales of the president's two books Dreams From My Father, and The Audacity of Hope (《无畏的梦想》). The two books, published in 1995 and 2006, are very popular and have been on the bestseller (畅销书) list for a long time.

The Obamas' income is down from 2007, when they made $4.2 million. However, that is still far more than former US president George W. Bush earned, who reported a total of $719,274 for his final year. The Obamas' income also greatly exceeded (超过) that of Biden, who reported a family income of $269,256. That's about a tenth of what the Obamas earned. As vice-president, Biden earns a salary of $220,000. US families earn an average income of about $50,000.

The Obamas' tax returns also show that together, the president and his wife paid about $933,000 in taxes. They gave $172,050 -- nearly 6.5 percent of their earnings – to different charity groups. In the US, if a person gives his money to churches and non-profit (非盈利的) organizations, the law reduces his or her taxes. This is one reason rich people in the US like to give to charity.

44. What are tax returns?

　 A. They are reports published by the White House.

　 B. They are reports made by the president.

　 C. They are reports of tax a person has to pay.

　 D. They are reports of people's incomes.

45. How much did Obama and his wife earn in 2008?

　 A. $400,000 　 　　　 　　　 B. $2,660,000 　　 　　　 C. $4,200,000　　 D. $7,191,274

46. In the US, which people have to file tax returns?

　 A. Everybody.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Wealthy people. 　　

　 C. Government officials.　　　　　D. People whose incomes are over a certain amount.

In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father is an African and his mother is a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii.
When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was.
“I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince（王子）. But I kept asking myself who I am,” said Obama.
However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president（总统） in US history.
This unusual background（背景） made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol (酒) to help forget this question.
With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became only the third black senator (参议员) in US history.
“Obama’s success has made Martin Luther King’s dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged （判断）by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character,” wrote ABC news.
【小题1】Obama was born in _______________.
A Britain      B America      C Kenya        D Indonesia
【小题2】There was/were _______black students besides Obama at the school where he studied when he was ten.
A no           B one              C two          D three
【小题3】Obama became the first black president in US history when he was ______.
A 37            B 40               C 47           D 50
【小题4】Which of the following is true?
A Obama’s father was a Kenyan prince.
B Obama once forgot who his father was with the help of alcohol.
C Obama was so dishonest when he was young that nobody believed him.
D Obama changed his college life because of his friends’ help and his hard work
【小题5】From the passage we can see that____________.