How should one invest (投资) a sum of money in these days of inflation (通货膨胀)?   31   (leave) in a bank it’ll hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man,  32  a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock (股票) Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways   33   (protect) your savings and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects   34   the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks,   35   I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.

I sometimes wonder   36   a being from another planet report back about our way of life. “The planet Earth   37   (rule) by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face   38   twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it   39   (fast) its young around people’s wrists so that everywhere men go   40   are still under control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves.”

While surfing television channels over the weekend，a scene from a family classic of last year portraying the now-so-familiar sorry state of retired parents being ill-treated by their children and families caught my attention. I wondered why the description of this relationship had not changed much over the many years! Even though the same movies and soaps accurately capture several other social changes around us — from value systems to new found economic freedom to the importance of technology and the changing approach to consumerism(消费主义) — are these creative efforts far from the truth in telling us that an average retiree is still struggling?
Look around and you will agree that the post-retired lifestyle for an ex-salaried class people is often a pale shadow of their last working years. Even self employed people, who have handed over the responsibility to the next generation, are no exception. Did the average middle class not save enough through his working years?
Socially, we already know that the Indians are taught the benefits of start saving early on in life. Household savings data supports this social behavior — India has the highest rates of savings among various economies and is far ahead of the west. Yet, tragically, a lifetime of savings does not seem to provide enough for a comfortable retirement!
A closer look at the pattern of what we do with our financial savings may tell us a bit more. Over half of households’ financial savings is put into a “safe” deposit, followed by large portions in insurance, pension, provident funds（福利基金） and the rest in physical currency. Less than a tenth goes into “risky” assets(资产) like stocks. While there might be nothing, in particular, worrisome in this investment pool, one has to consider inflation(通货膨胀). The real value of savings, over a few decades, may actually be lower than the starting point.
【小题1】What had not changed much over the many years according to the passage?

A．Value systems	B．The poor situation of retirees
C．Economic freedom	D．Approach to consumerism

【小题2】Which of the following statements about saving in India is right?

A．the concept of saving has been well received by Indians.

B．the amount of the savings ranks number one across the world.

C．long-standing savings can help the retirees live a care-free life.

D．saving early can not benefit people at all.

【小题3】 What can be inferred according to the last paragraph?

A．Half of the financial savings in stocks can be accepted.

B．The real value of saving must be lowered in a few years.

C．A loss of savings may hardly be avoided.

D．Inflation can be avoided on condition that you consume instead of saving.

【小题4】What’s the best title of the text?

A．Retirees being treated unfairly

B．Is saving enough

C．Saving in India

D．How to deal with saving

D

The cost of rice is expected to go up in the coming moths, as an improving global economy raises demand, and drought(旱灾) cuts production in countries such as India. Some economists say prices for rice, the main food for the world’s population, could be returning to levels that caused inflation(通货膨胀)fears in much of Asia last year.

Charuk Singhapreecha is dean of the faculty(系)of economics at Thailand’s Kasetsart University, Hesays prices-especially for Thai nice-are being pushed higher by new customers coming into the market after the economic slowdown of the past year. “They expect that the world demand will increase and we expect that the price of rice will increase next year,” Charuk said. “There are many new markets fro the Thai rice and also we still have for our old customers-China, some Arab countries-they will increase the demand.”

Prices on the global market could again near the record of $1,000 a ton set in the middle of 2008. This month, export prices for Southeast Asian rice have jumped from about $550 a ton to more than $650.

Vichai sriprasert, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, says further weakness in the US dollar and concerns over drought add to pressure on prices. Market experts say next year India is likely to try to import three million tons of rice-entering the world market for the first time in 21 years-because of a drought.

Vichai also warns that increasing demand for bio-fuels(生物燃料)from grain could reduce food crops, forcing the price of grains higher. “this is very serious. That’s why the price of rice will not go back to the level that we used to see,” Vichai said. “It will have to be raised at a higher level, but I don’t know where.”

The Philippines this week said it is cutting rice imports due to high prices, even though the country lost more than a million tons of grain to typhoons this year. officials from veetnam, a leading export competitor with Thailand, predict prices will reach about $800 a ton by the middle of 2010. This week the Philippines’ National Food Authority offered almost $665 a ton for 600,000 tons of Vietnamese rice.

Economists say higher food prices will only increase the problems faced by the region’s poor, who are highly dependent on rice as a staple food.

63.   Which of the following is NOT true according to Paragraph 1?

A. Drought reduces production of rice in India.

B. Prices for rice were lower all the time in 2008.

C. Rice is a major food for the world’s population.

D. the improving global economy increases the need for rice.

64.   How many reasons did Vichai mention about rice price’s going up?

A.1.                  B.2.                 C.3.           D.4.

65.Why does the Philippines plan to cut rice imports?

A. Because of high prices.                      B. Because of typhoons.

C. Because of civil war.                        D. Because of drought.

66.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Higher food prices will increase problems

B. There are many new markets for the Thai rice

C. The global economy is improving

D. Prices for rice are expected to rise

 

How should one invest a sum of money in inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.

I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves."

Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring the time according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.

However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.

Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?

1.According to the passage, collecting antique clocks ________.

A．can hardly keep the value of your savings

B．will cost much of your savings

C．may increase your wealth

D．needs your bravery

2.By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to ________.

A．suggest human beings are controlled by a clock

B．describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth

C．tell readers what clocks look like

D．compare clocks to human beings

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?

A．Counting the beating of one's own heart.

B．Making use of candles, sand and water.

C．Observing shadows cast by the sun.

D．Keeping slaves busy day and night.

4.The purpose of the passage is ________.

A．to introduce the culture of antique clocks

B．to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks

C．to compare different ways to make a future profit

D．to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time

 

How should one invest a sum of money in inflation (通货膨胀)? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate. Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market. Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past. Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques.
I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life. "The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound. It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands. Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control. This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves."
Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time. Certain men were very clever at measuring the time according to the beating of their own hearts. They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout time. So it seems that the first clocks were human beings.
However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time. They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun. They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks. Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past.
Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home. After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?
【小题1】According to the passage, collecting antique clocks ________.

A．can hardly keep the value of your savings

B．will cost much of your savings

C．may increase your wealth

D．needs your bravery

【小题2】By quoting (引用) the remark of a being from another planet, the author intends to ________.

A．suggest human beings are controlled by a clock

B．describe why clocks can rule the planet Earth

C．tell readers what clocks look like

D．compare clocks to human beings

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?

A．Counting the beating of one's own heart.

B．Making use of candles, sand and water.

C．Observing shadows cast by the sun.

D．Keeping slaves busy day and night.

【小题4】The purpose of the passage is ________.

A．to introduce the culture of antique clocks

B．to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks

C．to compare different ways to make a future profit

D．to explain convenient and reliable ways of telling time