二、阅读理解

　　1. According to a recent survey on money and relationships, 36 per cent of people are keeping a bank account from their partner. While this financial unfaithfulness may appear as distrust in a relationship, in truth it may just be a form of financial protection.

　　With almost half of all marriages ending in divorce, men and women are realizing they need to be financially savvy, regardless of whether they are in a relationship.

　　The financial hardship on individuals after a divorce can be extremely difficult, even more so when children are involved. The lack of permanency in relationships, jobs and family life may be the cause of a growing trend to keep a secret bank account hidden from a partner; in other words, an “escape fund”.

　　Margaret’s story is far from unique. She is a representative of a growing number of women in long-term relationships who are becoming protective of their own earnings.

　　Every month on pay day, she banks hundreds of dollars into a savings account she keeps from her husband. She has been doing this throughout their six-year marriage and has built a nest egg worth an incredible $100,000 on top of her pension.

　　Margaret says if her husband found out about her secret savings he’d hurt and would interpret this as a sign she wasn’t sure of the marriage. “He’d think it was my escape fund so that financially I could afford to get out of the relationship if it went wrong. I know you should approach marriage as being forever and I hope ours is, but you can never be sure.”

　　Like many of her fellow secret savers, Margaret was stung in a former relationship and has since been very guarded about her own money.

　　Coming clean to your partner about being a secret saver may not be all that bad .Take Colleen, for example, who had been saving secretly for a few years before she confessed to her partner. “I decided to open a savings account and start building a nest egg of my own. I wanted to prove to myself that I could put money in the bank and leave it there for a rainy day.”

　　"When John found out about my secret savings, he was a little suspicious of my motives. I reassured him that this was certainly not an escape fund and that I feel very secure in our relationship. I have to admit that it does feel good to have my own money on reserve if ever there are rainy days in the future. It’s sensible to build and protect your personal financial security.”

　　1). The trend to keep a secret bank account is growing because ________.

　　A. “escape fund” helps one through rainy days

　　B. days are getting harder and harder

　　C. women are money sensitive

　　D. financial conflicts often occur

　　2). The word “savvy”(Line2,Para.2)probably means ________.

　　A. suspicious 　B. secure 　C. shrewd 　D. simple

　　3). Which inference can we make about Margaret?

　　A. She is a unique woman. 　B. She was once divorced.

　　C. She is going to retire. 　D. She has many children.

　　4). The author mentions Colleen’s example to show ________.

　　A. any couple can avoid marriage conflicts

　　B. privacy within marriage should be respected

　　C. everyone can save a fortune with a happy marriage

　　D. financial disclosure is not necessarily bad

　　5). Which of the following best summarizes this passage?

　　A. Secret Savers B. Love Is What It’s Worth

　　C. Banking Honesty D. Once Bitten, Twice Shy

　　2. Everyone, it seems, has a health problem. After pouring billions into the National Health Service, British people moan about dirty hospitals, long waits and wasted money. In Germany the new chancellor, Angela Merkel, is under fire for suggesting changing the financing of its health system. Canada's new Conservative Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, made a big fuss during the election about reducing the country's lengthy medical queues. Across the rich world, affluence, ageing and advancing technology are driving up health spending faster than income.

　　But nowhere has a bigger health problem than America. Soaring medical bills are squeezing wages, swelling the ranks of the uninsured and pushing huge firms and perhaps even the government towards bankruptcy. Ford's announcement this week that it would cut up to 30.000 jobs by 2012 was as much a sign of its "legacy" health -care costs as of the ills of the car industry. Pushed by polls that show health care is one of his main domestic problems and by forecasts showing that the retiring baby-boomers(生育高峰期出生的人) will crush the government's finances, George Bush is to unveil a reform plan in next week's state-of -the-union address.

　　America's health system is unlike any other. The Unite States spends 16% of its GDP on health, around twice the rich-country average, equivalent to $6,280 for every American each year. Yet it is the only rich country that does not guarantee universal health coverage. Thanks to an accident of history, most Americans receive health insurance through their employer, with the government picking up the bill for the poor and the elderly.

　　This curious hybrid(混合物) certainly has its strengths. Americans have more choice than anybody else, and their health-care system is much more innovative. Europeans' bills could be much higher if American medicine were not doing much of their Research and Development(R&D)for them. But there are also huge weaknesses. The one most often cited-especially by foreigners-is the army of uninsured. Some 46 million Americans do not have cover. In many cases that is out of choice and, if they fall seriously ill, hospitals have to treat them. But it is still deeply unequal. And there are also shocking inefficiencies: by some measures, 30% of American health spending is wasted.

　　Then there is the question of state support. Many Americans disapprove of the "socialized medicine" of Canada and Europe. In fact, even if much of the administration is done privately, around 60% of America's health-care bill ends up being met by the government. Proportionately, the American state already spends as much on health as the OECD(Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development)average, and that share is set to grow as the baby-boomers run up their Medicare bills and ever more employers avoid providing health-care coverage. America is, in effect, heading towards a version of socialized medicine by default.

　　1). Health problems mentioned in the passage include all the following EXCEPT ________.

　　A. poor hospital conditions in U.K. B. Angela Merkel under attack

　　C. health financing in Germany 　D. long waiting lines in Canada

　　2). Ford's announcement of cutting up to 30,000 jobs by 2012 indicates that Ford ________.

　　A. has the biggest health problem of the car industry 　B. has made profits from its health-care legacy

　　C. has accumulated too heavy a health-care burden 　D. owes a great deal of debt to its employees

　　3). In the author's opinion, America's health system is ________.

　　A. inefficient 　B. feasible 　C. unpopular 　D. successful

　　4). It is implied in the passage that ________.

　　A. America's health system has its strengths and weaknesses

　　B. the US government pays medical bills for the poor and the elderly

　　C. some 46 million Americans do not have medical insurance

　　D. Europeans benefit a lot from America's medical research

　　5). From the last paragraph we may learn that the "socialized medicine" is ________.

　　A. a practice of Canada and Europe

　　B. a policy adopted by the US government

　　C. intended for the retiring baby-boomers

　　D. administered by private enterprises

　　3. Last weekend Kyle MacDonald in Montreal threw a party to celebrate the fact that he got his new home in exchange for a red paper clip. Starting a year ago, MacDonald bartered the clip for increasingly valuable stuff, including a camp stove and free rent in a Phoenix flat. Having announced his aim (the house) in advance, MacDonald likely got a boost from techies eager to see the Internet pass this daring test of its networking power. "My whole motto(座右铭) was 'Start small, think big and have fun'," says MacDonald, 26, “I really kept my effort on the creative side rather than the business side.”

　　Yet as odd as the MacDonald exchange was, barter is now big business on the Net. This year more than 400,000 companies worldwide will exchange some $10 billion worth of goods and services on growing number of barter sites. These Web sites allow companies to trade products for a virtual currency, which they can use to buy goods from other members. In Iceland, garment-maker Kapusatan sells a third of its output on the booming Vidskiptanetid exchange, earning virtual money that it uses to buy machinery and pay part of employee salaries. The Troc-Services exchange in France offers more than 4,600 services, from math lessons to ironing.

　　This is not a primitive barter system. By creating currencies, the Internet removes a major barrier---what Bob Meyer, publisher of BarterNews, calls "the double coincidence of wants." That is, two parties once not only had to find each other, but also an exchange of goods that both desired. Now, they can price the deal in virtual currency.

　　Barter also helps firms make use of idle capacity. For example, advertising is “hugely bartered” because many media, particularly on the Web, can supply new ad space at little cost. Moreover, internet ads don’t register in industry-growth statistics, because many exchanges are arranged outside the formal exchanges.

　　Like eBay, most barter sites allow members to “grade” trading partners for honesty, quality and so on. Barter exchanges can allow firms in countries with hyperinflation or nontradable currencies to enter global trades. Next year, a non-profit exchange called Quick Lift Two(QL2) plans to open in Nairobi, offering barter deals to 38,000 Kenyan farmers in remote areas. Two small planes will deliver the goods. QL2 director Gacii Waciuma says the farmers are excited to be “liberated from corrupt middlemen.” For them, barter evokes a bright future, not a precapitalist past.

　　1). The word “techies” (Line 4, Para 1) probably refers to those who are _______.

　　A. afraid of technology 　B. skilled in technology

　　C. ignorant of technology 　　D. incompetent in technology

　　2). Many people may have deliberately helped Kyle because they _______.

　　A. were impressed by his creativity 　B. were eager to identify with his motto

　　C. liked his goal announced in advance 　　D. hoped to prove the power of the Internet

　　3). The Internet barter system relies heavily on _______.

　　A. the size of barter sites 　　B. the use of virtual currency

　　C. the quality of goods or services 　D. the location of trading companies

　　4). It is implied that Internet advertisements can help _______.

　　A. companies make more profit 　B. companies do formal exchanges

　　C. media register in statistics 　D. media grade barter sites

　　5). Which of the following is true of QL2 according to the author?

　　A. It is criticized for doing business in a primitive way.

　　B. It aims to deal with hyperinflation in some countries.

　　C. It helps get rid of middlemen in trade and exchange.

　　D. It is intended to evaluate the performance of trading partners.

　　4. While there's never a good age to get cancer, people in their 20s and 30s can feel particularly isolated. The average age of a cancer patient at diagnosis is 67. Children with cancer often are treated at pediatric(小儿科的) cancer centers, but young adults have a tough time finding peers, often sitting side-by-side during treatments with people who could be their grandparents.

　　In her new book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, writer Kris Carr looks at cancer from the perspective of a young adult who confronts death just as she's discovering life. Ms. Carr was 31 when she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that had generated tumors on her liver and lungs.

　　Ms. Carr reacted with the normal feelings of shock and sadness. She called her parents and stocked up on organic food, determined to become a "full-time healing addict." Then she picked up the phone and called everyone in her address book, asking if they knew other young women with cancer. The result was her own personal "cancer posse": a rock concert tour manager, a model, a fashion magazine editor, a cartoonist and a MTV celebrity, to name a few. This club of "cancer babes" offered support, advice and fashion tips, among other things.

　　Ms. Carr put her cancer experience in a recent Learning Channel documentary, and she has written a practical guide about how she coped. Cancer isn't funny, but Ms. Carr often is. She swears, she makes up names for the people who treat her (Dr. Fabulous and Dr. Guru), and she even makes second sound fun ("cancer road trips," she calls them).

　　She leaves the medical advice to doctors, instead offering insightful and practical tips that reflect the world view of a young adult. "I refused to let cancer ruin my party," she writes. "There are just too many cool things to do and plan and live for."

　　Ms. Carr still has cancer, but it has stopped progressing. Her cancer tips include using time-saving mass e-mails to keep friends informed, sewing or buying fashionable hospital gowns so you're not stuck with regulation blue or gray and playing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" so loud your neighbors call the police. Ms. Carr also advises an eyebrow wax and a new outfit before you tell the important people in your illness. "People you tell are going to cautious and not so cautiously try to see the cancer, so dazzle them instead with your miracle," she writes.

　　While her advice may sound superficial, it gets to the heart of what every cancer patient wants: the chance to live life just as she always did, and maybe better.

　　1). Which of the following groups is more vulnerable to cancer?

　　A. Children. 　B. People in their 20s and 30s. 　C. Young adults. 　　D. Elderly people.

　　2). All of the following statements are true EXCEPT _______.

　　A. Kris Carr is a female writer 　B. Kris Carr is more than 31-year-old

　　C. Kris Carr works in a cancer center 　D. Kris Carr is very optimistic

　　3). The phrase "cancer posse" (Line 4, para.3) probably refers to _______.

　　A. a cancer research organization 　B. a group of people who suffer from cancer

　　C. people who have recovered from cancer 　D. people who cope with cancer

　　4). Kris Carr make up names for the people who treat her because _______.

　　A. she is depressed and likes swearing 　B. she is funny and likes playing jokes on doctor

　　C. she wants to leave the medical advice to doctor 　D. she tries to leave a good impression on doctor

　　5). From Kris Carr's cancer tips we may infer that _______.

　　A. she learned to use e-mails after she got cancer

　　B. she wears fashionable dress even after suffering from cancer

　　C. hospital gowns for cancer patients are usually not in bright colors

　　D. the neighbors are very friendly with cancer patients

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