TOKYO — Our kids, the Japanese government announced, have forgotten how to behave. They can’t be bothered with housework. If they see someone being wronged, they probably look the other way.

Few countries have placed more importance on being well-behaved in public than Japan. The simplest requests for directions often result in guided tours. Smiling shopkeepers are still the rule. Lost wallets usually make their way to their owners.

But according to recent surveys(调查), all that may be going the way of the ancient hair-do(发式). And Japan’s government has gone into something of a crisis mode(危机时刻).

A Japanese Education Ministry Survey formed late in 1999 and made public last month found that Japan moves behind other nations in teaching youngsters right from wrong.

It also reported that Japanese children are less helpful and do far less housework than their foreign peers(同龄人) in all classes. But they are better about taking dirty dishes to the kitchens after dinner.

In addition, Japanese kids are more likely to dry their hair and carry cell phones than American and Chinese kids, according to another survey, by a Tokyo-based tank(专家小组).

Children in about 8 per cent of public school classrooms are so disorderly that teachers cannot hold lessons, further recent reports show. children refuse to sit, to listen or to stop talking.

Older and middle-aged Japanese continue to have a solid sense of good manners and social justice(正义, 公正), says Professor Yoshina Hirano from Shinshu University, who was appointed to direct the ministry’s survey.

Despite the knowledge of good manners among adults, the breakdown in manners may be spreading, he said.

1. From the first paragraph, we can infer that _______.

A. the Japanese government had gone bad

B. kids in Japan have a bad memory

C. kids in Japan seldom help their parents with housework

D. kids in Japan are too busy to help others

2. The second paragraph seems to show us that _______.

A. the education system of Japan is better than that of any other country

B. shopkeepers in Japan are too kind to their customers

C. Japanese kids often find wallets on their way to their schools

D. Japanese adults in public places act politely to each other

3. It is implied(暗含) in this passage that Japanese kids _______.

A. spending much time doing their homework　　　　

B. lead an advanced modern life

C. have their hair cut too often　　　　　　　　　　

D. often wash dishes after dinner

After The Super Girl was shown on TV, it was loved by millions of people, especially the young people. It becomes a hot topic among people. Here are some of their opinions

China is a developing country and women now show their abilities as freely as men do. The modern world is a stage for them to show who they are and what they want.

                                  —Nancy , 14     The Super Girls

One of the girls looks like Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) . In Singapore, a show of this kind is called Superstar. I think the competition like this is a good chance for the young girls with the dreams of stage. As for The Super Girl, I hope I can see one international super star coming out from this year's competition .

                                  —Linda , 16

I am worried about these super girls. They are educated in different ways. At their ages, they should be spending more time at school , not on the stage. What are they learning? And for what?

                                  —John , 15

1. What do people think about The Super Girl ?

A. It was loved by all the people         B. Different people have different ideas

C. All the young people enjoyed it very much               D. It is not popular among people

2. Linda hopes to see           from The Super Girl.

A. a show called Superstar in Singapore    B. a girl with the name of Jolin Tsai

    C. an international superstar coming out    D. some young girls with dreams of the stage

3.John worries about the super girls because these girls           .

    A. don't spend enough time studying at school  B. spend too much time studying at school    C. show their abilities in their free time         D. are educated in the same way

 

 

　　Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question. Even in good times, i.e. not now, there are people who can’t find work. And even in bad times, i.e. now, there are job openings. With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled. But that’s not the case. Not now and not ever.

　　On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon. Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern. The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus.

　　Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious. You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in. Employers need to get resumes （简历）. It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want. And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it.

　　So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?

　　Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic.

　　For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said.

　　“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London. “The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience.”

According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?

　　A. It is always difficult to find a job.

　　B. Everyone can find a job in good times.

　　C. Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to find a job in bad times.

　　D. It is possible to find a job even in times as bad as now.

What is it that leads to their winning the prize?

　　A. They have found the reason for unemployment.

　　B. They have put forward a set of ideas to deal with unemployment.

　　C. They have found out why people don’t want to be employed.

　　D. They have long studied the problem of unemployment.

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

　　A. Pissarides thinks his work surprising.

　　B. The work of Pissarides has influenced many economists.

　　C. Some of the winners’ ideas have been put into practice.

　　D. It is probable that unemployed young people in Britain benefit from Pissarides’ work.

According to Pissarides, _________ is effrctive in dealing with unemployment.

　　A. spending large sums of money on training

　　B. teaching some knowledge of economics

　　C. providing work experience

　　D. keeping people unemployed for some time

　                         　A

The nervous-looking young man had waited for a few moments outside the jeweler's shop before he got enough courage to enter．He was warmly greeted by a young assistant. James felt a rush blood to his face as he explained he would bring in his future wife to choose a birthday present．The assistant listened carefully and told him he'd better buy a necklace. He wasn't used to buying jewelry and was a little worried about overspending. After some discussion as to reasonable price and type（类型）, the assistant showed him dozens of necklaces and helped him to choose. At last James chose one and left the shop promising to return at five o'clock. When, half an hour later, James did return to the shop with his future wife, Laura, the assistant acted as if she had never seen him before. When she was asked to show them some necklaces, she first brought out some inexpensive ones for them to choose and then gave them the one she had prepared. A choice was soon made and they went away, satisfied. James would certainly come back to buy what he wanted when he got married.

1.A good title（题目）for this passage is ________.

　　A. A Clever Assistant     B. Buying a Birthday Present

　　C. How to Choose a Necklace      D. A Brave Young Man

2. Why did the young man look nervous?

    A. Because he had never bought jewelry before.

    B. Because he would get married.

    C. Because he didn’t have enough money to buy a satisfying present.

    D. Because he feared he would be laughed at by shop assistants.

3.The word "overspending" in this passage means ________.

　　A. spending too much money       B. spending too much time

　　C. spending more time than be planned

　　D. spending too much time and too much money

4.When James told the assistant why he wanted to buy a present, his

face________.

　　A. turned pale　　B. turned black   C. turned yellow　D. turned red

5.James would come back to buy what he wanted because ________.

　　A. the necklace was good    B. Laura liked the necklace

C. the assistant knew how to satisfy the people who came to buy things

　　D. the assistant who served James was very beautiful

 

Amusement parks make most of their money from admission fees paid by guests attending the park. Other sources include parking fees, food and drink sales and souvenirs. Practically all amusement parks operate using one of two admission principles:

     Pay-as-you-go In this form, a guest enters the park at little or no charge. The guest must then buy rides one by one, either at the attraction’s entrance or by buying ride tickets. The cost of the attraction is often based on its complexity (复杂性) or popularity. The park may allow guests to buy unlimited admissions to all attractions within the park. A pass is then shown at the attraction entrance to gain admission.

     Disneyland opened in 1955 using the pay-as-you-go form. Initially, guests paid the ride admission fees at the attractions. Soon, the problems of dealing with so many coins led to the development of a ticket system that, while now out of use, is still part of the amusement-park vocabulary. In this new form, guests bought ticket books that contained a number of tickets, with “A,” “B” and “C.” Rides and attractions using an “A-ticket” were generally simple, with “B-tickets” and “C-tickets” used for the larger, more popular rides. Later, the “D-ticket” was added, then finally the now-famous “E-ticket,” which was used for the biggest rides, like Space Mountain. Smaller tickets could be traded up for use on larger rides. Disneyland, as well as the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, gave up this practice in 1982.

The advantages include:

guests pay for only what they choose to experience

attraction costs can be changed easily

The disadvantages include:

guests may get tired of spending money almost continuously

guests may not spend as much on food or souvenirs

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Attractions of amusement parks

B. Admission fees of amusement parks.

C. Admission principles of amusement parks

D. Sources of income of amusement parks.

2.According to the pay-as-you-go principle, guests _____.

A. don’t pay at the gate of the park

B. must pay for each ride they take

C. have to pay for all rides in the park

D. needn’t pay after entering the park

3.According to the passage, what is the meaning of the underlined word “Initially” in Paragraph 3?

A. Gradually.    B. At the beginning.     C. At last.      D. Commonly.

4.What would be introduced following the passage?

A. The other admission principle

B. Amusement parks’ earnings.

C. Some other admission principles

D. Users of the pay-as-you-go principle.