US first lady Michelle Obama ranked the world’s most powerful woman in Forbes magazine’s 2010 listing published on October 6.

Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld1..second . American talk show host Oprah Winfrey was third. German Prime Minister Angela Merkel was the fourth most powerful   woman，2.US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rounded out (使圆满) the top five.

This year Forbes3.the way it ranked  women. It is now supposedly4.less on wealth and power but more on influence.

“5.They influenced  ， sometimes billions of people，” said Moira Forbes， vice  president and publisher of Forbes Woman.

Forbes said Obama topped the list this year6.        “she has made the office of first lady her own” while remaining popular.

“She’s also effective： In response to her Let’s Move！ campaign7.childhood obesity(肥胖)， companies 8.       Coca-Cola， Kellogg and General Mills have agreed to cut the calorie content of their foods by 2015，” Forbes said.

 

The US first lady Michlle Obama is among the world’s 100 most powerful women in a list topped by German premier Angela Merkel for four years in a row, according to a Forbes ranking released on 19 August.

    Michelle Obama debuted at No.40, coming in ahead of Talk Show host Oprah Winfrey at 41 and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at 42.

   Sheila Bair, chair of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which insures bank deposits, remained No.2 after debuting on the Forbes list last year. She has gained increased fame as the US recession lasts.

   The list is based on factors such as politics and economic impact ,media reach and career accomplishments.

   The chief executives of Dupont and Sunoco are new to the top 10, replacing the Xerox Cop. Chair, who dropped to No. 15, and the former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who fell off the list after leaving office in January.

   Rice’s successor, Hillary Clinton, came in at No.36,dropping from No.28 last year when her presidential bid made her the woman with the highest public profile on the list.

   Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, retained No.35.

   “Woman in power are rising to leadership positions in business, government and philanthropy(慈善)by making daring and unconventional moves,” Forbes said. “Gone are the days of women feeling they have to stick with one employer and patiently wait for promotions.”

    “Highly ambitious women are moving across companies and industries, making big leaps with each change, and repositioning themselves for opportunities that allow them to gain a breadth of experience.” The business magazine said.

    Merkel , 55, became the first female premier of Germany in 2005 and was successful in retaining power in a federal election on September 27.

   Michelle Obama, 45,has won the support of fans for her down-to-earth personality, her views of healthy eating and the arts, and her fashion sense that has seen her grace several best-dressed lists.

41. What does the underlined word “debuted” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. Go on stage for the first time .              

B. Make the first public appearance.

C. Appear on the list for the first time.

D. Introduce a film to the public for the first time.

42. Condoleezza Rice was not included in the list probably because ________.

A. she exercised  less influence              

B. she kept her new job a secret

C. she is no longer a public figure            

D. she was silent after resignation

43. Hillary Clinton ranked 28 last year because __________.

A. she was the former first lady                 

B. she was running for president

C. she frequently appeared in public           

D. she got support from her husband

44. We learn from the text that powerful women today ______.

A. change their jobs more frequently          

B. are better political leaders than men

C. are not content with being housewives    

D. have changed their traditional concept

45. What is the author’s attitude towards Angela Merkel?

A. Admiring.       B. Neutral.     C. Objective.      D. Extreme.

 When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.

She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.

After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”

Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.

1.We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.

A. rose from a low social class

B. had an unhappy marriage

C. lived with a dog alone on a farm

D. won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show

2. At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.

A. looked forward to her wonderful performance

B. was attracted by her beautiful dress

C. looked down upon her

D. placed great hope on her

3. We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.

A. the judges   B. the Internet   C. the newspaper   D. the advertisement

4.The 4^th paragraph intends to tell us ______.

A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success

B. the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher

C. Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA

D. Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle

 

Among various programmes, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.

Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents on his show are as surprising as they can be. For example, the show takes the ever-mon talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives.

Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top. But Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.

pared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.

Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main viewers are middleclass Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tough problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show’s exploitation.

1.pared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are ____.

A. more interesting                 B. more formal  

C. more detailed                    D. unusually popular

2. Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?

A. Family ine planning.                       B. Nation hatred.

C. A new type of robot.                     D. Street accident.

3.We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows_____.

A. have bee the only ones of its kind

B. attract different people

C. appear at different times of the day

D.exploit the weaknesses in human nature

 

第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分满分40分)

US first lady Michelle Obama is among the world’s 100 most powerful women on a list topped by German premier Angela Merkel for four years in a row, according to a Forbes ranking released recently.

Michelle Obama debuted（初次露面）at No.40,coming in ahead of talk show host Oprah Winfrey at 41 and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth at 42.

Sheila Bair, chair of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which insures bank deposits,remained NO.2 after debuting on the Forbes list last year. She has gained increased fame as the US recession（经济衰退） lasts.

The list is based on factors such as economic impact, media reach and career accomplishments. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice fell off the list after leaving office in January. Rice’s successor （继任者）,Hillary Clinton, came in at NO.36, dropping from No.28 last year when her presidential bid made her the woman with the highest public profile on the list.

“women im power are rising to leadership positions in business, government and philanthropy （慈善）by making daring and unconventional moves,”Forbes said.“Gone are the days of women feeling they must stick with one employer and patiently wait for promotions.”

“Highly ambitious women… are moving across companies and industries, making big leaps with each change, and repositioning themselves for opportunities that allow them to gain a breadth of experience,” the business magazine said.

Merkel,55, became the first female premier of Germany in 2005 and succeeded in retaining(保留) power in a federal election not long ago.

Michelle Obama,45,has won fans for her down-to-earth personality, her support of causes including healthy eating and the arts.

1.Condoleezza Rice is not included on the list probably because_______________ .

A. she exercises less influence

B. she keeps her new job a secret

C. she has become an ordinary woman

D. she is silent after leaving office

2.Hillary Clinton was ranked No.28 last year because_____________

A. she was the former first lady

B. she was running for president then

C. she frequently appeared in public

D. she got support from her husband

3. We learn from the passage that powerful women today_____________

A. change their jobs more frequently

B. are better political leaders than men

C. are not content with being housewives

D. have changed their traditional concept

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. The most powerful women in the world

B. Women in power are rising to leadership postitions

C. Forbes: Germany’s Merkel again most powerful woman

D. Forbes: The rise and fall of the women in power

D. The latest source of biofuel