China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers（房产开发商）and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported.

Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted（转换）to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold a t a price even higher than those in the US.

The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate（房地产）market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?

At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate (控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans（贷款）and lands to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.

1.What is the average housing price per square meter in China?

         A．8000 yuan.              B．10000 yuan.            C．7000 yuan.              D．it’s not mentioned here.

2.Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China is  even higher than in the United States?

        A．Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities.

        B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese       

people.

        C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property       

developers do when they sell their houses.

        D．There population who need houses in China than in the United States.

3.How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing  prices?  

         A．Four.                        B．Three.                     C．Tow.                         D．One.

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

      A．The housing price in China is so high that the government should do something useful to

prevent it.

        B．There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market.

        C．The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States.

        D．The Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.

 

 

The key to learning English well is to overcome your shyness and fear , said taxi driver Zhang, who is attending the English training program run by the West Lake Taxi Company. “Out teacher Mrs.Yang encourages us many times to open our mouths and speak English out loudly in her class ,” said Zhang.

 Chen Zhong, another fluent(流利的) English speaker, shared his opinion. “I didn’t think English was important to us at the beginning since many foreign passengers could speak some Chinese to me. But when I did speak some English, the foreigners were always pleased and said I was the first taxi driver they had met who could speak English.

  Chen said he found studying English extremely interesting. The 160 minutes’ study per week was simply not enough for him. He bought books , tapes and VCDs to learn English on his own.. “Though it cost me a lot of time and energy , I did find it is useful in the long term” he said.

  The reward of learning English is more than Chen has expected. Now he has made several foreign friends who book his taxi when they need. Some foreign passengers even give him tips (小费when he communicates with them in English.

  To facilitate their studies, the company developed a bilingual(双语的) tape which includes the most frequently used sentences for taxi drivers and the names of major streets and buildings in Shenzhen.

  “It has helped me out, ” said Chen. “Once I failed to express ‘Chinese Folk Culture Villages’ in English when I was asked to go there by a foreigner, I played the tape and got its meaning.”

59. What difficulty did Mr.Zhang have learning English at first?

A. He had no time to study English

B. His company didn’t allow them to study English

C. He had no courage to speak out.

D. He had no chance to speak English.

60. Which of the following is NOT the benefit Chen gets from learning English?

A. He gets some good advice on learning English from foreigners.

B. He earns more money from some regular foreign customers.

C. He has to spend both money and effort learning English.

D. He gets great fun and encouragement in learning English.

61. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. the company is the first to encourage its drivers to learn English

B. all the drivers have made money after learning English

C. the company has developed and English tape for its drivers

D. the tape is welcomed by the drivers learning English

62. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “facilitate” in the fifth paragraph?

A. To make easy   B. To increase     C. To encourage   D. To check

 

America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history. Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings.

But just a short walk from Manhattan’s skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel.

Brown is homeless——one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street.

During the day, Brown collects aluminum cans and sells them for five cents a piece. At night, he sleeps on the street.

“I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that,” said the 62-year-old former construction worker.

Brown admits he had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine. But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement. He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available.

However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York.

With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand.

A US report shows rents in New York City rose more than 27 per cent, from ＄549 to ＄700 a month.

One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up.

The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help.

But few housing companies are building for the poor. Many small apartments in the city now rent for ＄1,500 a month or more.

Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her. She is angry about his drinking and won’t allow it in her house.

Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he’d like to see more often. “All I’ve got to do is clean up my act,” he said.

1.What kind of life does George Brown lead?

A．Stable.

B．Dangerous.

C．Hard.

D．Comfortable.

2. It can be inferred from this passage that     .

A．America is short of housing companies

B．the poor can’t benefit from the increasing economy

C．poor people in America will become rich

D．housing companies will build more houses for the poor

3.The underlined part “clean up my act” in the last paragraph means “   ”.

A. remove my cans                B kick my bad habits   

C. make a lot of money             D. see my grandchildren

4.Which part of a newspaper is the passage possibly taken from?

A．Society.

B．Science.

C．Arts.

D．Business.

 

China news, Beijing, July 29 --- Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate market, the International Finance News reported.

Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.

The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?

At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate(控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.

1.What is the average housing price per square meter in China?

A. 8000 yuan.               B. 10000 yuan.          C. 7000 yuan.              D. Not mentioned.

2.Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States?

A. Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities.

B. American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people.

C. The population who need houses in China is larger than in the United States.

D. The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses.

3.How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing prices?

A. One.                   B. Two.                  C. Three.                 D. Four.

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

A. The housing price in China is so high that the government should do something useful to prevent it.

B. There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market.

C. The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States.

D. Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.

 

Let’s do some sleep math．You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday．On Saturday and Sunday，you slept in，getting four extra hours．On Monday morningi, you were feeling so bright-eyed that you only had one cup of coffee,instead of your usual two．But don’t be cheated by your energy．You’re still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness, or what experts call“sleep debt”——in this case something like six hours，almost a full nights’ sleep．

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get．It’s a deficit(缺乏)that grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly sleep．“People accumulate sleep debt gradually without being noticed，”says William C．Dement，founder of the Stanford University Sleep Clinic．Studies show that such short—term sleep deprivation leads to a foggy brain，worsened vision，and trouble remembering. Long-term effects include obesity，insulin(胰岛素)resistance, and heart disease.A survey by the National Sleep Foundation reports that we’re losing one hour of sleep each night一一more than two full weeks of sleep every year.

The good news is that，like all debt, with some work，sleep debt can be repaid. Adding an extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up．For the long—term lack of sleep，take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern．

Go to bed when you are tired，and allow your body to wake you in the morning(no alarm clock allowed)．You may find yourself catatonic(有紧张症的)in the beginning of the recovery cycle：expect to have ten hours shut-eye per night. As the days pass, however，the amount of sleeping time will gradually decrease.

So earn back that lost sleep——and follow the dictates of your innate(固有的)sleep needs. You’ll feel better．“When you put away sleep debt,you become a superman，”says Stanford’s Dement,talking about the improved mental and physical capabilities that come with being well rested．

51．If you have short—term sleep deprivation, ____________.

A．you can think and remember things clearly

B．you can still see everything very clearly

C．you can drive your car easily

D．you may have a poor sight

52．The example of sleep math is used to show____________

A．in what case you build up a sleep debt

B．why you need six hours’ sleep every night

C．why you are full of energy even when you don’t haye enoug sleep

D．you should drink coffee to keep energetic when you don’t have enough sleep

53．The author begins Paragraph 3 with ____________.

A．an order          B．a story             C．a definition            D．an example

54．By saying the undedined sentence in the last paragraph，Dement means ____________

A．a superman always needs a lot of sleep

B．you will be in a good state with enough sleep

C．you can become superman after you repay your debt

D．You will become superman if you don’t make up for sleep debt

55．What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．Can you catch up on lost sleep?             B．How can you keep energetic?

C．Can you have a good sleep?                  D．What is sleep debt?