Supplementary Exercises (Book II) Test One
Task One Reading Comprehension Passage One
Henry Ford, the famous US inventor and car manufacturer, once said, \business of America is business.\By this he meant that the US way of life is based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as %ustry “or \
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to US life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance （大量地）because the US economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the world business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business, referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout US history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the right to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing ——the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high —— creates feelings of insecurity for many.
1. The influence of business in the US is evidenced by the fact that ______. A) most newspapers are run by big businesses
B) even public organizations concentrate on working for profits C) Americans of all professions know how to do business D) even arts and entertainment are regarded as business
2. According to the passage, immigrants choose to settle in the US, dreaming that_____. A) they can start profitable businesses there B) they can be more competitive in business C) they will make a fortune overnight there D) they will find better chances of employment
3. Henry Ford's statement can be taken negatively because _____. A) working people are discouraged to fight for their rights B) there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists
C) there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations and labor D) public services are not run by the federal government
4. A company's efforts to keep expenses low and profits high may result in _______. A) reduction in the number of employees
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B) improvement of working conditions
C) fewer disputes between labor and management D) a rise in workers' wages Passage Two
In this age of Internet chat, video games and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn't win the contest again? That's the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface. A revelation （启示）came last week when I asked her, \？\she replied, \
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地)told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly \taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it. Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting （借用）my daughter's experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
5. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A) A lot of distractions compete for children’s time nowadays. B) Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities. C) Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time. D) Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing. 6. What did the author say about her own writing experience?
A) She was constantly under pressure of writing more. B) Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. C) She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. D) Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations. 7. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year's writing contest? A) She had won a prize in the previous contest. B) She wanted to share her stories with readers. C) She was sure of winning with her mother's help. D) She believed she possessed real talent for writing.
8. The author took great pains to refine her daughter's stories because _______. A) she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dream of becoming a writer
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B) she was afraid Rebecca's imagination might run wild while writing C) she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much D) she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance 9. What's the author's advice for parents?
A) Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions. B) Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. C) Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience. D) A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue. Passage Three
Researchers say more than half of young people who use MySpace often discuss high-risk behaviors. Two studies of the social networking site recently appeared in the Archives of pediatric (儿科的)and Adolescent Medicine.
In one study, researchers examined the pages of 500 18-year-olds from the United States. They found that 41 percent of the profiles（档案资料）chosen at random included information about alcohol or drug use. 24 percent discussed sexual behavior. And 14 percent included discussion of violence.
Young people who said they were active in religious groups, sports or other interests were less likely to discuss risky behaviors.
In the second study, the researchers read the MySpace profiles of about 190 individuals. All said they were 18 t0 20 years old. Each person discussed high-risk behaviors
One of the researchers was Megan Moreno, now at the University of Wisconsin. Doctor Moreno sent a message to half the young people. Her e-mail suggested that they change their profiles. She also warned them about the risk of sharing personal information.
About 14 percent of those receiving the e-mail removed information on sexual behavior. Among individuals who did not receive a message, about 5 percent later removed such information. In the United States, about half of all young people use social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook Doctor Dimitri Christakis at Seattle Children's Hospital worked on the research. He says parents have a responsibility to know what their children are doing on the Internet.
On February third, the top law enforcement officials in Connecticut and North Carolina announced some news about MySpace. MySpace told them it has identified and removed about 90,000 registered sex offenders from its site in the last two years. These people were found guilty of crimes that require them to be publicly listed as sex offenders. The number is: 40, 000 more than MySpace has reported in the past.
The officials in Connecticut and North Carolina lead a group of state attorneys general who are seeking to make social networks safer. Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal said many other offenders may be using sites under false names and ages.
10. Which of the following is NOT high-risk behavior according to the passage? A. Alcohol or drug use B. Robbery. C. Violence. D. Sexual behavior.
11. The study implies that in order to shift young people's interest in discussing risky behaviors on the Internet, they are supposed to__________ . A. never chats on the Internet
B. surf the Internet under the supervision of their parents
C. take an active part in religious groups, sports or other interests
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D. devote themselves in studying
12. About how many young people accept doctor Moreno's suggestion and change their profiles? A.13 B.14
C. 15 D. 16
13. According to Doctor Dimitri Christakis, who have a responsibility to prevent young people discussing risky behaviors on the Internet? A. Teachers. B. Government. C. Media. D. Parents.
14. What's the main idea of the passage?
A. The Internet is filled with the discussion of high-risk behaviors. B. The Internet contributes to the discussion of high-risk behaviors. C. Young people show high interest in risky behaviors.
D Young people discuss risky behaviors on social network sites. Passage Four
The way people hold to the belief that a fun filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness, then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment （宗教信仰），self-improvement. Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night's sleep or a three day vacation. I don't know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild,
Understanding and accepting the fact that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
15. What does the underlined word \ A. cannot be measured
B. cannot be predicted C. cannot be avoided D. cannot be expressed
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16. Why do bachelors resist marriage？
A. He finds being together with woman is less and less satisfying. B. He is afraid of taking responsibility in marriage. C. He loves living alone.
D. He has got used of the single life.
17. According to the author, which of the following is NOT true about the couples with infant children?
A. It is not easy for them to have a good sleep. B. They have made a commitment bravely.
C. They can feel the real happiness in family life. D. Most of them are not capable of raising children. 18. What is liberating realization？
A. The fact that happiness doesn't equal to life full of fun. B. The reality that people have to make some commitment. C. The fact that making some commitments is a good thing. D. Fun life is meaningless.
19. The main idea of the passage is that ___________.
A. We human beings cannot deal with all the problems in life. B. Happiness is hard to obtain.
C. Liberating realization is the most important thing in life.
D. We have to stand some pain if we want to enjoy the real happiness. Passage Five
In the last few years, many Americans have bought houses with arms: adjustable-rate mortgages. These loans usually begin with lower interest rates for the first two or three years than fixed-rate mortgages (抵押借款).Then the rate changes as major interest rates rise or fall.
Holders could be surprised by their new, larger monthly payments as their loans reset to a higher rate. Some people may not even know they have adjustable-rate mortgages.
Some lenders and brokers who found loans for people are accused of misleading borrowers. Yet borrowers often did not even have to show proof of earnings.
Now, many people who took out adjustable-rate mortgages may not be able to make their payments. And not only holders of risky subprime loans ( 次级贷款)；even buyers with better credit histories could lose their homes
The Federal Reserve in Washington is expected to cut its target rate for short-term loans between banks. But long-term rates are the ones that affect things like housing loans, and these have been rising. Investors have been demanding higher returns in exchange for the risk of keeping money in longer-term securities.
Federal Reserve records show that homebuyers currently hold eight hundred fifty billion dollars in subprime adjustable-rate mortgages. The nonprofit Center for Responsible Lending points to numbers from UBS Investment Research. These show that 212 billion dollars in subprime arms will reset to a higher rate this year. Over 170 billion dollars in loans will reset next year.
The Center for Responsible Lending says subprime borrowers are the ones having the most trouble right now. One in five of them who received their loans in the last two years could lose their home
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