Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage.

Bicycle rental companies in Beijing are going broken, because nobody wants to hire their services. Major rental operators have invested about 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) in almost 20,000 bicycles but are now struggling to survive.

A spokesman from the Bird of Freedom Bicycle Rental said the company had already sold most of the 400 bicycles.“This is a difficult business, especially when it is cold.The cold weather almost killed the business.” he said.

Bigger rental companies are also facing challenges.Beijing Bicycle Rental Co. Ltd. which owns 8,000 bicycles, has invested more than 30 million yuan over the past year.Wang Yong, chairman of the group, said his company had not made a profit since it began in 2005.

Almost all bicycle rental companies in Beijing require deposits of 300 to 400 yuan and then customers need to pay 10 yuan or more per hour.“I don't want to pay 400 yuan to rent a bike.It's too dear,” said Zhang Yu, a student in Communication University of China, who does not own a bike and often takes motorized rickshaws.“If renting for one day will cost 20 yuan and I rent a bike for five days, I can use the money to buy a new one.”

Although facing economic ruin, some enterprises are still hoping that conditions will improve.

IbikeMedia, one of the biggest bicycle rental companies in China, also invested tens of millions yuan in Beijing and has more than 10,000 bicycles.Li Weiwei, general manager of IbikeMedia Beijing, said his company has a policy of no deposit and no payment.He said the company tried to put advertisements on the bicycles and in this way, they could make profits.But they had not made a profit yet because of its small scale.However, customers must pay 20 yuan per card and also show proof of good personal credit.

In early July, the Beijing municipal government announced plans to develop a 50,000­bicycle rental operation across the city.“The bigger network we have, the more citizens will rent bikes，” Li said.“This will make rental easier to citizens and we strongly need help from the government.”

1.In which season is the bicycle rental business the most difficult in Beijing? (No more than 2 words)

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2.List the reasons why Zhang Yu is not willing to rent a bike.(No more than 6 words)

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3.How can IbikeMedia possibly make a profit according to Li Weiwei? (No more than 6 words)

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4.What is the main idea of the passage ？(No more than 10 words)

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China is now sending more college students to study in the United States than any other country.  A new report shows a 23 percent increase in the number of Chinese students coming to the U.S.

The latest edition of the annual Institute of International Education（IIE）and another US institute found a 5 percent rise in the number of international university students in the US compared to one year ago. There are now over 157, 000 Chinese students at U.S. colleges and universities.

Aisa accounted for four of the top five countries and regions to take advantage of the US higher education system. “Increased numbers of students from China, particularly at the undergraduate level, largely accounts for the growth this past year,” the report stated. “They really enroll in a full range of US higher education,” said Peggy Blumenthal, senior counselor to the president of IIE, the group that made the report. “20 years ago, students from China only knew of a handful of US insitiutions, but now, they are enrolling in our community colleges, in our small liberal arts institutions, in the research universities. Really spread across the country,” she said.

Chinese mainland was in the number one spot, while India was the number two country of origin. South Korea was third and Canada was number four. China’s Taiwan held the number five spot. Saudi Arabia was in sixth with a 44-percent increase, while Japan was seventh, down 14 percent.

Blumenthal attributes the increase in the number of Chinese students heading to US colleges to limited university places in China, as well as a feeling from students and their parents than they want a “unique” educational experience. China’s family planning policy, says Blumenthal, has also meant that families can concentrated resources on a single child.

The University of California at Los Angeles has one of the largest Asian student populations of any college in the United States.

1.Which ranked the third place sharing US higher education?

A．Saudi Arabia        B．South Korea         C．Canada        D．India

2.Why is the number of Chinese students going to the US increasing?

A．The US colleges are better than those in China.

B．Each family in China has only one child.

C．China lacks enough educational resources.

D．Chinese students can enter varieties of US colleges.

3.Which of the following is right according to Peggy Blumenthal?

A．The number of Chinese students going to the US has increased by 23%.

B．The University of California has contributed to Asian education greatly.

C．Chinese student populations in the US mainly consist of undergraduates.

D．Chinese students know more about US higher education than before.

4.The best title for the passage can be            .

A．Chinese College Students Rush to US Schools

B．The Large Number of Chinese Students in the US

C．Chinese Students Make Up Largely Foreign Students in the US

D．Asian Middle School Students in the US Universities

 

Young people and older people do not always agree with each other. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special program in New York State, adults (成年人) and teenagers live together in a friendly way.

Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and enjoyment in work. Some teenagers work in the woods or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and to build houses. The adults teach them these skills.

There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo-taking or painting. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to spend his free time.

When people live together, rules are necessary. In this program, the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”

One of the teenagers has something to say about the experience, “You stop thinking only about yourself. You learn how to think about the group.”

1. In one special program in New York, young and older people ______.

A．are friendly to each other.

B．teach each other new ways of building houses

C．live together but do not work together

D．spend eight weeks together, working as farmers

2.Living together, ________.

A．the teenagers have to obey the rules the adults make

B．the members don’t have to obey the rules

C．the members are not allowed to break the rules they make together

D．the members have no free time except on weekends

3.The last paragraph shows that the teenager thinks his experience in the program is _______.

A．disappointing

B．helpful

C．tiring

D．unpleasant

4.The best title for the passage is _______.

A．Rules of Living Together	B．Different Ideas about Living
C．Teenagers and Adults Together	D．Life in New York State

 

In my opinion, mathematics _____fun, but more than 80% of the group _____agree with me.

A. are; don’t    B. isn’t; don’t

C. are; doesn’t   D. is; doesn’t

Sparrow is a fast-food chain with 200 restaurants. Some years ago, the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company. Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining, the chain was generally in an unhealthy state. With more and more fast-food concepts reaching the market, the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention. And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.

Sparrow failed to grow for another two years. Until a new CEO, Carl Pearson, decided to build up its market share. He did a survey, which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain, while customers of other fast-food chains were unwilling to turn away from them. Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.

Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand. The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants. Pearson resisted, arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun. Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time. Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success, rather than customers’ speeding power. Finally, the owner accepted his idea.

The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast-food industry. The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars. Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product, the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.

Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image. For example, he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover (营业额) .

These efforts paid off, and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast-food chains in the regions where it operated.

1.Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?

A．The number of its customers was declining

B．Its customers found the food unhealthy

C．It was in need of financial support

D．Most of its restaurants were closed

2.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Customers of Sparrow restaurants           B．Sparrow restaurants

C．Customers of other fast-food chains         D．other fast-food chains

3.For what purpose did Pearson start the advertising campaign?

A．To build a good relationship with the public

B．To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow

C．To lean about customers’ spending power.

D．To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants.

4.The TV ads of Sparrow ________ .

A．changed people’s views on pop stars

B．amused the public with original songs

C．focused on the superiority of its products

D．influenced the eating habits of the audience

5.What was Pearson’s achievement as a CEO?

A．He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts.

B．He made Sparrow much more competitive

C．He helped Sparrow take over a company

D．He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees