69. The reason why “An apple a day may poison children” is that __________.

A. there are some harmful insects or worms in the apple

B. children would get a poisonous level of pesticides because of the remains on the apple

C. there are always more pesticides on the apples　produced in Britain

D. the apple is too hard for children to eat

68. Which of the following is not a purpose in writing this letter?

A. Explaining to the children the reason for moving.

B. Informing the children that they will move to a new house.

C. Inviting the children to visit the new house.

D. Expressing their regret for not being with their children.

D

An apple a day may poison children.

Children who eat an apple or a pear a day may be exceeding(超过)the pesticide(杀虫剂)safety limit because of remains on the fruit, according to research.

Using data of the British Department of Environment on pesticides on fruit collected from supermarkets，scientists thought that each day some children would get a poisonous level of pesticides.

The research, published on Sunday, says the government repeatedly claims that the levels of pesticide are safe because, instead of measuring individual apples, researchers buy 10, crush them and take an average reading to see if they are safe. This is the internationally agreed method of checking remains.

But government figures show that the pesticide is not averagely spread across the batch(一批), and one or two apples could contain 90% or more of the pesticide in the batch.

It used mathematical modeling to measure exposure to pesticides for children aged between 18 months and four years old. The pesticides involved can destroy children’s hormones and some are suspected of causing cancer.

The good news for British fruit growers is that samples(抽样)grown in this country had lower residue level than imported fruit, so buying home-produced fruit will reduce the danger, said Emily Diaman, one of the Earth’s senior food researchers and one of the authors of the report.

67. The children were not supposed to__________.

A. help their parents move out of their old house　　　　　　　 B. bring some old clothes

C. sort out their belongings　 　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　D. work in the garden

66. We understand from the passage that the estate agent _________.

A. lied about the exact condition of the house　　　　 　　 B. did not have enough houses for them to choose from

C. persuaded them to buy a house in poor condition　 　　 D. could not understand their needs

65. What is implied in the sentence “When we saw it, we nearly died!”？

A. We were so excited because the house was exactly what we wanted.

B. The house was in such an unexpected poor condition that we were greatly disappointed.

C. We were puzzled when we saw the house.

D. We were so tired since we had been to several houses.

64. What would be the best title for the text?

A. Hard Plastics: a worker’s paradise　　　 B. Ron Healey: his contribution to industrial psychology

C. 30/40 program: a better way to reduce unemployment D. US: shorter week produces more

C

Dear Jane, Barbara and Roger,

As you know, we’ve been looking for a new house for some time. Now that all our children have left home, we find that the house is too big for us. Also, since your father retired, there has been no reason for us to stay in this district. Although we like our neighbors, we’ve decided to move south for two reasons. First, the weather will suit us better, and second, we’ll be a little nearer to your Uncle George and Auntie Hilda. It will make visiting each other much simpler.

We stayed with your Uncle and Aunt last weekend and saw several houses. One of them sounded as if it were just what we wanted. The right number of rooms, a small garden, etc. When we saw it, we nearly died! It was in a terrible condition and would have cost a fortune to make it habitable. The roof and all the walls needed repairing and the whole inside redecorating. After that, we were very careful about believing details from the estate(房地产)agent. The next two that we saw were not much better, but the fourth house was exactly what we wanted. It was empty, so we’re going to move in immediately. We gave details of our house to the estate agent only last week, but it’s already been sold. We’ll put all your things in boxes and take them with us. You’ll have to sort them out, throwing away what you don’t want.

Can you all come next weekend? You can have a nice rest in the country. Telephone on Wednesday at the new number to let us know.

Lots of love,

Mum and Dad

P.S. Bring some old clothes, because between the rests, you’ll be sorting out your belongings and digging the garden!

63. We can learn from the text that with 30/40, the company is able to _______.

A. employ more women workers　　　　　　　　　 B. employ more college graduates

C. choose their employees from among more applicants

D. help the town in its effort to reduce unemployment

62. A “30/40 plan” is being tested in Hard Plastics with an aim to _________.

A. let working women enjoy their family life　 　　　　　　　 　B. improve employees’ working conditions

C. reduce unemployment in Whitley　　　　　 　　　　 　D. raise the company’s productivity

61. According to the text, what is the “30/40”program?

A. An employee works 30 hours a week with 40 hours’ pay.

B. An employee works for 10 hours extra every week and gets paid.

C. A woman employee with a family has the right to work 30 hours a week.

D. A woman employee gets paid even if she stays at home during work hours.

60. What did the doctor think might happen to Ellen?

A. She might put on more weight.　　　　　　　 　　 B. She might stop eating too much.

C. She might have a heart attack.　　　　　　　　 D. She might go to another doctor

B

COLUMBIA City, Indiana — For Robin Smith, the hard plastics company where she works has become a worker’s paradise since the work week was cut from 40 to 30 hours last May with no pay cut.

“I love it. I like spending more time with my family and less time at work and getting paid for it,” said the mother of three.

Hard Plastics is part of a growing number of US companies that are experimenting with the so-called “30/40” plan to replace the 40-hour working week.

Unlike in Europe, where cutting the working week is seen as a way to reduce unemployment, US companies see the 30/40 program mainly as a tool to increase productivity.

At the Hard Plastics plant, some 150 women employees work 6-hour daily for a 30-hour working week. And if they show up every day on time, they receive a 10-hour bonus for the week.

“But if you’re even one minute late, sorry Charlie, no bonus,” said Ronald Ronald Richey, the company’s president.

“We’re in a very low unemployment market here, 2.5 percent for the town—Whitley,” said Ronald Richey. “The idea was to draw more quality applicants.”

With 30/40, the company, which employs 325 people at two plants in Indiana and has yearly sales of US $30 million, has greatly broadened its applicant pool. Some 40 people apply every week, among them many with long years of work experience or even college degrees.

The idea was first put forward by industrial psychologist Ron Healey. He said more and more companies were expressing interest in his program and were even testing it.