Winston Churchill once described Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery（谜） inside a puzzle”. Observers of Russia in the 21st century could surely say the same of the country’s president, Vladimir Putin.

Born in Leningrad, six months before the death of Stalin, the young Putin experienced a poverty-stricken childhood but received a good education. He developed lifelong interests in judo and spy novels, and first applied to the KGB(苏联国家安全委员会) at the age of 17. When they told him to go away and come back with a degree, he completed with an efficiency(效率) that would later serve him well.

Putin used his KGB training, plus his own discipline and common sense, in a series of jobs. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when president Boris Yeltsin resigned in a surprising move. Putin won the 2000 presidential election and in 2004 he was re-elected for a second term lasting until 7 May 2008. 

Due to term limits, Putin was unable to run for a third presidential term. After the victory of  Dmitry Medvedev, in the 2008 presidential elections, he was appointed to be Russia’s Prime Minister.

Putin is regarded as one bringing political stability and re-establishing the rule of law. During his presidency, Russia’s economy(经济) bounced back, seeing GDP increase by 72%, poverty cut more than half, and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640. Analysts have described Putin's economic reforms as impressive. At the same time, his conduct in office has been questioned by political opposition at home, foreign governments, and human rights organizations for leading the Second Chechen War, and for his record on human rights and freedoms.

Whether he wants to drive Russia into a new stage, or believes in the values of its Soviet past, he is determined to put his nation back on its feet. To do this, Vladimir Putin may have to show his true colors sooner rather than later.

1. What would be the best title for the text?

A. The Mysterious President of Russia                         

B. Russia’s High-growth Economy

C. Russia’s Far Past and Near Future                        

 D. The Political Situation in Russia

2. Which of the following helps Putin’s success in presidential election?

A. His family background.                      B. His belief in Soviet.       

C. His efficiency in jobs.                       D. His love for freedom.

3. What happened in Russia during Putin’s presidency?

A. The number of the poor reduced to 50%.

B. Every Russian enjoyed equal rights.

C. Russia’s economy picked up rapidly.

D. Russian people lived a peaceful life.

4.  What can we learn about Putin from the text?

A. He gains respect of foreign governments.

B. He always fought for human rights.

C. He ran for president a third time.

D. He is a politician of great achievements.

 

 

Sir Richard Branson today offered a $ 25,000,000 prize for scientists who find a way to save the planet from the effects of climate change.

Supported by the former US vice-president A1 Gore and other environmentalists, the boss of Virgin Atlantic airlines called for scientists to come up with a way to take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

“What we are doing is making sure we get the most carbon dioxide-friendly planes. We promise that 100% of profits we make from our transportation business are put into things like the prize we've offered today. We shall convince people that we are facing a threat which is urgent and there’s no superhero. We have no hope of a meaningful solution unless we find a way to work together.” he said.

Mr Gore said global warming was man-made and was like to the planet suffering from a “fever”. He said, "Humans had slipped into a way of thinking that was centered on ‘short term satisfaction’, and now meet the challenge of ‘transforming ourselves and changing the structures of everything we do’," he said.

Reacting to the launch of the prize, Tony Jupiter, the Friends of the Earth's director, warned against wasting time waiting for new inventions. He said, "Sir Richard' s initiative (初衷) may encourage inventors to develop a wonder technology to deal with carbon dioxide of the atmosphere. But many of the ways, such as energy efficiency and renewables, already exist, and it is essential that these be put into practice as soon as possible. Moreover, Sir Richard must also look at his business activities and the contribution they make to climate change. The world will find it very difficult to settle climate change if air travel continues to expand and space tourism is developed."

40. Sir Richard Branson is ________.

   A. a scientist concerned for climate change

   B. a businessman working for A1 Gore

   C. the boss of Virgin Atlantic airlines

   D. the director of the Friends of the Earth

41. The purpose of using A1 Gore' s quotation was to_______。

    A. ask people to change the way of thinking

    B. compare global warming to an Earth's fever

    C. show how serious and urgent the problem is

    D. call for more attention to the launch of the prize

42. What is file main idea of the passage?

    A. It is important for people to save our planet.

    B. Humans are to blame for causing climate change.

    C. Scientists are trying to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

    D. A prize was offered for solutions to global warming.

43. How was Tony Jupiter’s attitude to space tourism?

    A. Negative.     B. Positive.     C. Optimistic.      D. Neutral (中立).

______ the worker’s working efficiency, the manager will allow him to have a coffee break.

A．Improving

B．To improve

C．Having improved

D．Improved

 

I had about 10 minutes to exercise before I had to pick up my two older daughters from school yesterday. It was a busier day than usual for me with a couple of meetings besides my regular work.

Years ago, I would have put off my workout and would have left things for the next day. But since it was a busy day as well, I knew that I may not have all that much time either. So, I picked up my kettle-bell (哑铃) and went to town for 4 minutes.

See, 4 minutes, if that’s all you’ve got, is enough to give your body a great fat-burning exercise. How did I get a killer workout in 4 minutes? I used a training workout discovered 10 years ago by a Japanese Sports Scientist called a TABATA.

It includes 20-second periods of warm-up, followed by 10-second periods of rest and 4-minute straight exercise. How is a 4-minute exercise able to burn fat? It all depends on the quality of work you do. Not on the quantity. Here’s how I did it yesterday.

You should never forget your warm-up. A TABATA workout is 20 seconds of 2-arm Kettle-bell swings, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds push-ups, and 10 seconds rest. You should do those 4 rounds. That’s it. I was done in a total time of 8 minutes by the time and when I got to school my heart was still pumping pretty hard.

A healthy body is needed for studying and working, and efficiency (效率) is the key to building a great body in the least amount (数量) of time possible and you can’t get more efficient than a 4-minute workout.

1.We can learn from the passage that the author ______.

A．is busy with his work	B．has a weak body now
C．has two children in all	D．is a manager in a film

2.The underlined phrase “went to town” in Paragraph 2 means “_______”.

A．put off doing something	B．went to a very small city
C．did something with interest	D．hated to do something

3.What is the most important thing in taking exercise according to the author?

A．The goal

B．the quality

C．The quantity

D．The method

 

Dear Aunty,
I work at a supermarket, and another girl and I share tasks we must finish before leaving. But she takes half an hour to do something I can do in ten minutes. She always has a story to tell me and stops working when she does. My boss is angry at both of us, but It’s not my fault. I don’t want to rat on her, but what else can I do?
Flustered
Dear Flustered,
Let me propose a better way. Make a log of all the tasks you share, then suggest to your boss that for efficiency your duties could be divided into two separate checklists. If he’s reluctant, go to plan B: the next time this girl starts telling you a story, stop working to listen and call your boss over to hear what a great storyteller she is. I’m sure he’ll take it from here.
Aunty
Dear Aunty,
I’m a college student in the Philippines who wants to be wise with money. I’m not an economics or business major student and I don’t know anything about stocks. But I really want to buy assets and invest. I receive about 15,000 pesos（比索）every school term from my education plan. I don’t have any idea how I should spend it. I don’t want to just buy new clothes, or hang out with my friends because it would not be wise. I want my money to grow. Please enlighten me.
Fastbreakplay
Dear Fastbreakplay,
Being wise with money is the No. 1 thing to learn. Start with a disciplined and systematic savings plan. When your savings reach a sizeable amount, then you may start investing. In the meantime, invest in yourself by reading up on stock markets and capital markets. Follow the news. Before I started investing during my senior high school years, I had already studied stock market data of the past century as I believe markets tend to repeat themselves. If you master this skill, you will master your reading of the markets.
Aunty
【小题1】When Flustered’s boss isn’t willing to separate their work, Flustered can _____.

A．follow the second advice	B．invite the boss to listen to the girl
C．stop working or do other things	D．report to the boss on time

【小题2】Fastbreakplay writes a letter to Aunty in order to _____.

A．buy some pesos	B．become an expert on stocks
C．get ways to grow money	D．study economics as his major

【小题3】In Aunty’s opinion, one should _____ at the beginning to be wise with money.

A．start investing	B．have a saving plan
C．study stock markets	D．master market reading

【小题4】From letters above, we know Aunty should be ________.

A．an elder kind woman	B．a lady in the community
C．a famous singer	D．a name of a columnist