D

The income gap between China's rural and urban residents(居民) has continued to widen during the past few years in spite of rapidly rising rural incomes, Agricultural Minister Sun Zhengcai said here on Wednesday.

The income ratio(比率) between urban and rural residents was 3.28:1 in 2006, against 3.23:1 in 2003, said Sun in his report on the promotion of building a new countryside in 2007. Sun also said the net income of rural residents in different regions also varied widely. The income gap is only one of several problems in rural areas, according to Sun's report. While listing the achievements in rural areas in recent years, Sun believed that rural development still followed behind urban development.

"We have bigger pressure to ensure the supply of major agricultural products such as grain," he said. "China's urbanization(都市化) has been speeded up and more rural residents have gone to urban areas," he said.

"In this case, more agricultural producers become farm produce consumers, which created more pressure for supply," he said.

Another problem facing China's agricultural development is inadequate application of science and technology.

"Only 30 percent of scientific and technological achievements have been applied to agricultural production, which is 40 percentage points lower than developed countries," he said.

Despite increased government spending in rural areas, the infrastructure(基础下部组织) is still poor and easily hit by disasters.

According to Sun, the government spent 431.8 billion yuan ($59.15 billion) on agriculture, rural areas and farmers this year, an increase of 80.1 billion yuan over the previous year.

China set aside 11.38 billion yuan to promote a new rural cooperative medical care system and 27.98 billion yuan to support the new compulsory education mechanism in rural area to ensure that all citizens shared the fruits of China's reform and opening-up, Sun said.

68．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

   A．Because of the rapidly rising rural incomes, the income gap between China's rural and urban residents will disappear this year.

   B．The net income of rural residents in different regions is the same.

   C．The government has taken measures to develop the economy in the rural areas.

   D．Because of the rapidly rising rural incomes, the supply of major agricultural products is enough.

69．Can you infer the meaning of the underlined words in paragraph 5?

   A．be made full use of        B．be made little use of

   C．be not made full use of          D．be made good use of

70． How much is spent on agriculture, rural areas and farmers the previous year?

   A．431.8 billion yuan          B．511.9 billion yuan 

   C．351.7 billion yuan          D．80.1 billion yuan

71． Which is NOT the problem in rural areas?

   A．The income gap

   B．The inadequate application of science and technology

   C．The supply of major agricultural products

   D．China's urbanization 

D

Here are three notices on the school bulletin board.

Chinese Prints

This exhibition starts on January 3 and ends on January 21.

At 6:00 p.m. on Friday, 4 January, there will be a talk on Chinese painting by Professor Li Yan in the Yingdong Gym.

Opening times: Mon — Fri, from 8: 00 am to 5: 00 pm Place: the School Library  Ticket:  Free

The Day after Tomorrow

American movie    Director: Roland Emmerich

Cast (in credits order):  Jack Hall, Laura Chapman, Jason Evans   Place:  the Hua Xing Cinema

Time:  10: 00 am, 6: 30 pm; Saturday, December 21    Ticket:  ?? 20

Piano Concert

Chinese pianist: Li Yundi — the winner of the Fourteenth International Chopin Competition in Warsaw

Place:  the Centre Theatre   Time:  7: 00 pm, January 25, 2008  Ticket:  ??150, ??250, ??350

For more information, please come to Students Union.

48. Students can visit the Exhibition of Chinese Prints on _________.

A. January 3               B. December 21          C. Saturday                  D. Sunday

49. If you want to see the American movie The Day after Tomorrow, you will pay ________.

A. ?? 20              B. ??150                      C. ??250                      D. nothing

50. If you want to attend Li Yundi’s piano concert, you will go to _______.

A. the School Library                               B. the Hua Xing Cinema  

C. the Centre Theatre                            D. the Yingdong Gym

C
　　A scientist who developed a way to calculate(计算) how much water is used in the produciton of anything form a cup of coffee to a hamburger was awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize.
　　Professor John Anthony Allan of the University of London in Britain won the award for introducing the idea of "virtual water(虚拟水)",a calculation method that has changed the nature of trade policy and research.
　　Allan has written seven books and published more than 100 papers.
　　The Stockholm International Water Institute said this idea is now embedded(埋藏) in the production of foods and industrial products.The institute said Allan's work had made a big effect on global trade policy and research,especially in water - scarce(缺水) regions.
　　"The improved understanding of trade and water management issues on local,regional and global scales are of the highest value for the successsful and sustainable(可持续的) use of water resources,"it said.
　　"People do not only use water when they drink it or take a shower,"the institute said. "Behind the morning cup of coffee,there are 140 liters of water that was used to grow,produce,package and ship the beans."That is about as much water as a person in England uses on average for all daily drinking and household needs.
　　"For a single hamburger,about 2,400 liters of water are needed.In te USA ,the average person uses nearly 7,000 liters of virtual water every day" It said that was more than three times the average use of a Chinese person.
　　64.Allan was awarded the prize because ______.
　　　A.he wrote seven books on trade policy
　　　B.he published more than 100 papers on water management
　　　C.he found a new kind of water in water - scarce areas
　　　D.he came up with the idea of virtual water
　　65.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
　　　A.The average American uses about 7,000 liters of water a day.
　　　B.The average Chinese uses nearly 2,300 liters of virtual water a day.
　　　C.An Englishman usually drinks about 140 liters of coffee a day.
　　　D.A hamburger usually contains about 2,400 liters of water.
　　66.What effect does the idea of virtual water have?
　　　A.It helps us realize the importance of trade.
　　　B.It helps people do successful business.
　　　C.It helps us make use of water scientifically.
　　　D.It tells us how much water we use a day.
　　67.What does the underlined word "it" in the last paragraph refer to?
　　　A.The University of London.
　　　B.The calculation method.
　　　C.The Stockholm International Water Institute.
　　　D.The trade policy and research.

D
The most detailed breakdown(分析) of ethnic and gender performance in national curriculum tests for 7, 11 and 14－year－olds shows that Chinese pupils do best in every subject at every age. Chinese and Indian pupils outperformed white British children in English tests for 11－year－olds. In all, 83% of Chinese students reached the required standard compared with 78% of Indian pupils and 75% of white UK pupils and only 65% of Bangladeshi children reaching level four, the standard that an 11－year－old should achieve.
While the overall results show the performance of every ethnic group at GCSE(中等教育普通证书) is improving, they do highlight a worrying trend for white British pupils. David Miliband, the minister for School Standards, said the results showed that while standards in secondary schools were rising, there was “a shocking gender gap between boys and girls”. He added: “58.2% of girls achieved five A to C grade passes at GCSE in 2003 compared with just 49.9% of boys, and white working－class boys are one of the lowest performing groups at 14.” According to researchers,” In the weeks leading up to GCSE unsupervised study leave at home in many areas has become the norm(惯例). They are left to their own devices.” Mr. Miliband is supporting a plan to persuade schools to drop study leave before GCSEs and replace it with structured revision in school.
53．What's the best title for this text?
A．Chinese－British Pupils' Education in Britain
B．British Primary Education
C．British Ethnic Minority Education
D．The GCSE In Britain
54．All UK 11－year－olds' required standard in English tests is that they should reach      .
A．grade A                  B．grade B                  C．grade C                  D．level 4
55．What worries David Miliband according to the text?
A．Chinese－British and Indian－British pupils surpass British pupils in every subject.
B．White working class boys perform worst in schools.
C．Girls perform much better than boys.
D．Before GCSE all students are asked to do revision at school by themselves.
56．According to David Miliband, the study leave before GCSE is      .
A．unacceptable           B．practical                 C．admirable               D．Understandable

C
The days of elderly women doing nothing but cooking huge meals on holidays are gone. Enter the Red Hat Society －a group holding the belief that old ladies should have fun.
“My grandmothers didn’t do anything but keep house and serve everybody. They were programmed to do that,” said Emils Comette, head of a chapter of the 7-year-old Red Hat Society.
While men have long spent their time fishing and playing golf, women have sometimes seemed to become unnoticed as they age. But the generation now turning 50 is the baby boomers (生育高峰期出生的人), and the same people who refused their parents’ way of being young are now trying a new way of growing old.
If you take into consideration feminism (女权主义), a bit of spare money, and better health for most elderly, the Red Hat Society looks almost inevitable(必然的). In this society, women over 50 wear red hats and purple (紫色的) clothes, while the women under 50 wear pink hats and light purple clothing.
“The organization took the idea from a poem by Jenny Joseph that begins: “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple. With a red hat which doesn’t go,” said Ellen Cooper, who founded the Red Hat Society in 1998. When the ladies started to wear the red hats, they attracted lots of attention
“The point of this is that we need a rest from always doing something for someone else,” Cooper said. “Women feel so ashamed and sorry when they do something for themselves.” This is why chapters are discouraged from raising money or doing anything useful. “We’re a ladies’ play group. It couldn’t be more simple,” added Cooper’s assistant Joe Heywood.
64.The underlined word “chapter” in paragraph 2 means __________.
A．one branch of an organization     B．a written agreement of a club
C．one part of a collection of poems   D．a period in a society’s history
65．From the text, we know that the “baby boomers” are a group of people who
A．have gradually become more noticeable
B．are worried about getting old too quickly
C．are enjoying a good life with plenty of money to spend
D．tried living a different life from their parents when they were young
66．It could be inferred from the text that members of the Red Hat Society are____________.
A．interested in raising money for social work
B．programmers who can plan well for their future
C．believers in equality between men and women
D．good at cooking big meals and taking care of others
67．Who set up the Red Hat Society ?
A．Emily Cornette .   B．Ellen Cooper .    C．Jenny Joseph .   D．Joe Heywood .
68．Women join the Red Hat Society because_______________.
A．they want to stay young  
B．they would like to appear more attractive
C．they would like to have fun and live for themselves
D．they want to be more like their parents