72．The function of using the survey is ________．

A．to introduce the serious living condition in Beijing

B．to attract readers attention on living conditions

C．to show what city planners should do about the agenda

D．to prove contradiction between development and life

71．The writer’s attitude towards solving the problem is _______．

A．positive　　　　　 　　　 B．negative　　　　　　　　　 C．puzzled　　　　　　　　　 D．tough

E

In a survey released on Thursday, more than 7,000 Beijing residents assessed the capital as average in terms of living conditions．Most agreed that it is convenient to live in Beijing as far as the facilities for shopping, leisure time activities, education and medical care are concerned．But they do not agree that life is comfortable here．

　　 Such a survey sends a message that how a city functions to provide its citizens with suitable living conditions is a concern for many urbanites(都市人) although it will take some time before this concern finds a place on the agenda(议程)of city planners and administrators．

　　 In the past more than two decades, economic development has always been considered as the top priority for most cities．The focus on economic growth has left almost no room on the agenda of urban planners and administrators for attention to suitable living conditions for their urban residents．

　　 Economic development is undoubtedly the important foundation for improving living conditions, and has improved living standards considerably for most urban residents in the past two decades．But when it is made the ultimate goal of our life, and people are forced to give up their living comforts for the realization of a certain growth rate, the quality of urban life can be negatively affected．

　　 There are instances of development just for the sake of being considered development. Witness the destroy of buildings still in sound quality to make room for new structures, repeated change of bricks on pavements and the re- paving of roads．These economic activities lead to noise and environmental pollution and traffic jams．They worsen living conditions and even make it impossible for residents in many cities to lead a normal life．

　　 To a certain extent, some part of a city’s economic growth is achievable only at the expense of the living environment for urbanites．

　　 It is high time the city authorities gave a thought to the relationship between economic growth and living conditions in the cities．Beijing, for example, as a capital city, may put more efforts into developing its service sector, tourism and culture industry, which is not likely to cause pollution．Precaution needs to be employed in the considerations for city renovations and construction projects, which tend to affect the life of residents negatively．

　　 If the concern for making life easier and more comfortable is always on the minds of the city authorities and on their working agenda, economic development can be realized with suitable living standards．

70．We can infer form the passage that _______．

A．Americans have less leisure time than they did 40 years ago

B．Americans tend to spend part of their time watching TV

C．American mothers dislike their children staying at home

D．Americans treat their family or friends frequently

69．According to the passage, how many social activities does the author come up with?

A．3　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．4　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C．5　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．6

68．The main idea of the passage is _______．

A．to teach readers how to increase leisure time

B．to persuade readers to watch TV with others

C．to introduce different social activities to readers

D．to recommend various ways of spending leisure time

67．According to the passage, the author of the article may agree with which of the following statements?

A. It is appropriate to send your invitation cards three or four days before a dinner party date in U.S.A.

B．It may be appropriate to send your invitation to your guests three or four days before a dinner party date in some cultures．

C．It is best for one to make telephone calls at night because it costs much less．

D．If one is less than 5 minutes late, he has to make a short apology．

D

If life seems more rushed than ever, you might be surprised to learn that we Americans don't have less leisure time than we did 40 years ago．We actually have more leisure time, and quite a bit more．What counts as leisure is up for argument, but under every definition the numbers have gone up．We get about 45 minutes a day of extra leisure．

Then why does it feel like we have so much less? It might be because we waste half of all our leisure time watching television．The average American adult devotes 2．5 hours a day to this hobby．And for every additional hour we get free, another 30 minutes goes into that boob tube(=TV)．So if you want more free time, I recommend one thing: turn it off．This is easier said than done, especially during the world series．

When I was growing up, my mom had one piece of advice for me, and she said it every single morning．'Get out of the house!' It's good advice．Come join the 6．8 million who are in a book club, or the 196,000 who attend pro beach volleyball, or the 680,000 who go to tractor pulls every month．There are even 3 million people who enjoy a sport called ‘muzzle loading,’ which involves shooting a gun that looks 200 years old．

And at the end of the day, there's a thing in your kitchen called a stove．Turn it on and invite people over．Only 38% of Americans entertain friends or family at home at least once a year．What were the other 62% of us doing? Getting a free meal, I suppose．We can do better, America．If we're going to watch so much television, can't we at least invite friends over to watch?

66．The best title for this passage is_________．

A．the voices of time　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B．the importance of time

C．the importance of an announcement　　　 　　　　　　　 D．time and tide wait for no man

65．According to this passage , time plays an important role in _________．

A．everyday life　　　　　 B．school life　　　　 　　　 C．communications　　　 D．private life

64．Supposing one wants to make a telephone call at dawn, this would mean________．

A．the matter is of value　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．the matter is somewhat important

C．the matter requires immediate attention 　　　　　　　 D．it is a matter of life and death

63．From the story we can see that the writer probably takes the side of ____ ．

A．the pilot B．the airline’s chairman C．the stewardess D．Maureen

C

In the United States, it is not customary to telephone someone very early in the morning．If you telephone him early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention．The same meaning is attached to telephone calls made after 11:00 p．m．If someone receives a call during sleeping hours , he assumes it's a matter of life or death．The time chosen for the call communicates its importance．

In social life, time plays a very important part．In the U．S．A．guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date．But it is not true in all countries．In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten．The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world．Thus, misunderstandings arise between people from cultures that treat time differently．Promptness is valued highly in American life, for example．If people are not prompt, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible．In the U．S．no one would think of keeping a business associate waiting for an hour , it would be too impolite ．A person who is 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence．