Because of the financial crisis in the US and UK, college students are beginning to struggle to find ways to pay their tuition fees and accommodations．

Recently, two major US student loan lenders — Citibank and JPMorgan Chase — announced they were leaving the student loan industry altogether．Because banks currently have a lack of credit, they are reluctant to offer students low-interest loans that need a several-year wait for any return of interest．

In the US, many undergraduates top up their financial needs with a private loan, although the majority can get government-funded loans．In the 2005­-2006 academic year, $17 billion in private student loans was used to finance higher education．The shortfall in private funding has yet to be covered and will hit many US students hard．

Across the Atlantic, UK students have been less troubled by the crisis．Most undergraduates in the UK cover their university expenses with government-funded loans and grants （助学金）．Their biggest concern is a sudden steep increase in student rent．

Most young professionals now rent houses, since 80 percent of UK mortgage schemes （住房抵押贷款计划） have disappeared — a direct result of the credit crisis．This has boosted the house rent market．

In large cities, UK students are paying almost 6．5 percent more in rent than the previous year．Figures from the UK organization Accommodation for Student show students in big cities such as London paying an average weekly rent of ￡103．Yet, despite students’ suffering, the number of this year’s university applications is expected to grow．During economic slumps （经济萧条时期）, people regard further education as a way to survive tough job markets．

1．According to the passage, banks are unwilling to offer students loans because ________．

       A．the students are poor and sometimes they can’t pay off the debt

       B．banks prefer lending the money to the young professionals

       C．banks don’t have enough money left at the present time

       D．they think college students are not studying hard

2．The underlined phrase “top up” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________．

       A．put up                B．make up              C．fill up                  D．pick up

3．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．UK college students have to pay more if they want to rent houses．

       B．More UK students want to further their study in college．

       C．It is not so easy for US students to loan money now．

       D．College students’ tuition fees have risen greatly．

4．It can be inferred that ________．

       A．there are no private student loan lenders in the UK

       B．loans for US college students will be increased next year

       C．private funding falls a little because of higher-interest loans in the US

       D．private loans play a very important role in financing US students’ education

Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The result：10％ fewer heart attacks. 8％ fewer strokes. 4％ fewer deaths. 11％ fewer new cases of heart disease. And 240 billion dollars in health care savings.
Researchers found it could prevent 10，000 heart attacks and 9。200 deaths every year.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams， or one-half teaspoon，less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia Uni versity.
Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium（钠），which is how foods may list their salt content.
The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies， while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.
Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas， like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute shows that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children.
【小题1】We can tell from the passage that now        heart attacks occur in the US every year.

Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.

The result：10％ fewer heart attacks. 8％ fewer strokes. 4％ fewer deaths. 11％ fewer new cases of heart disease. And 240 billion dollars in health care savings.

Researchers found it could prevent 10，000 heart attacks and 9。200 deaths every year.

The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams， or one-half teaspoon，less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia Uni versity.

Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium（钠），which is how foods may list their salt content.

The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies， while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.

Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas， like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute shows that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children.

1.We can tell from the passage that now        heart attacks occur in the US every year.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that           .

3.The last paragraph mainly tells us            .

Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The result：10％ fewer heart attacks. 8％ fewer strokes. 4％ fewer deaths. 11％ fewer new cases of heart disease. And 240 billion dollars in health care savings.
Researchers found it could prevent 10，000 heart attacks and 9。200 deaths every year.
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams， or one-half teaspoon，less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia Uni  versity.
Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodium（钠），which is how foods may list their salt content.
The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies， while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative. The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.
Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas， like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute shows that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children.

1. 1.

   We can tell from the passage that now        heart attacks occur in the US every year.

   1. A.
      240，000
   2. B.
      900，000
   3. C.
      100，000
   4. D.
      92，000
2. 2.

   It can be inferred from the passage that           .

   1. A.
      all the heart diseases result from eating too much salt
   2. B.
      the American Heart Association suggests less than 3 grams of salt a day for everyone
   3. C.
      Americans ate no more than 5 grams of salt per day in the 1970s
   4. D.
      the less salt one eats， the healthier he will be
3. 3.

   The last paragraph mainly tells us            .

   1. A.
      Bloomberg has made some other efforts to improve people’s health
   2. B.
      Bloomberg is very successful in his career
   3. C.
      parents must pay great attention to calorie information
   4. D.
      a new study is being done about calorie information

Salt plays an important role in our daily diet. Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict -how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.

The result: Thirteen percent fewer heart attacks. Eight percent fewer strokes. Four percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings. Researchers found it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year．

The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams,or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University. Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodiu(钠), which is how foods may list their salt content．

The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative.The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.

Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children's Research Institute shows that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children. Ninety-nine parents of three to six year olds took part. Half had calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves. McDonald's menus clearly showing how many calories were in each food. Parents given the counts chose an average of one hundred two fewer calories when asked what they would order for their children. Yet there was no difference in calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves.

Study leader Pooja Tandon says even small calorie reductions on a regular basis can prevent weight gain over time.The study was published in the journal Pediatrics．

1.Which of the following benefits does less salt diet in the passage NOT cover?

A．The decrease of strokes                  B．The prevention of weight gain

C．Fewer heart attacks                      D．The drop in medical care cost

2.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．Americans ate no more than 5 grams of salt per day in the 1970s

B．the American Heart Association suggests less than 3 grams of salt a day for everyone

C．the less salt one eats, the healthier he will be

D．all the heart diseases result from eating too much salt

3.The National Salt Reduction Initiative aims to_______.

A．inform people of the harm that salt does to health

B．attract the public attention to the problem

C．require fast food places to list salt information

D．put pressure on food companies and restaurants

4.The underlined sentence "Yet there was no difference in calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves." implies that _______.

A．Parents pay less attention to the amount of calories in their diet.

B．Parents set a good example to their children in daily diet.

C．Parents take less salt than before while taking meals.

D．Most parents are on a diet for their health.

5.Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?

A．Relationship between Salt and Health

B．Less Salt Can Mean Being More Healthy

C．A Survey on People's Regular Diet

D．Mayor Michael Bloomberg and His Health Project