Even leaders pay tax

As the president of the US, Barack Obama earns a salary(薪水) of around $400,000 a year. But his income(收入) for 2008 was far more than that, according to the White House.

The White House recently published the tax returns of Obama and vice-president Joe Biden. Tax returns are reports of tax a person has to pay. They often include income information used to calculate（计算）the tax. In the US, people whose incomes are over a certain amount have to file (申请) tax returns every year. The tax returns of government officials are open to the public. This transparency (透明) helps to prevent corruption (腐败).

From Obama's tax returns, we can see that the president and first lady Michelle made about $2.66 million in 2008.

Most of the money came from the sales of the president's two books Dreams From My Father, and The Audacity of Hope (《无畏的梦想》). The two books, published in 1995 and 2006, are very popular and have been on the bestseller (畅销书) list for a long time.

The Obamas' income is down from 2007, when they made $4.2 million. However, that is still far more than former US president George W. Bush earned, who reported a total of $719,274 for his final year. The Obamas' income also greatly exceeded (超过) that of Biden, who reported a family income of $269,256. That's about a tenth of what the Obamas earned. As vice-president, Biden earns a salary of $220,000. US families earn an average income of about $50,000.

The Obamas' tax returns also show that together, the president and his wife paid about $933,000 in taxes. They gave $172,050 -- nearly 6.5 percent of their earnings – to different charity groups. In the US, if a person gives his money to churches and non-profit (非盈利的) organizations, the law reduces his or her taxes. This is one reason rich people in the US like to give to charity.

44. What are tax returns?

　 A. They are reports published by the White House.

　 B. They are reports made by the president.

　 C. They are reports of tax a person has to pay.

　 D. They are reports of people's incomes.

45. How much did Obama and his wife earn in 2008?

　 A. $400,000 　 　　　 　　　 B. $2,660,000 　　 　　　 C. $4,200,000　　 D. $7,191,274

46. In the US, which people have to file tax returns?

　 A. Everybody.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Wealthy people. 　　

　 C. Government officials.　　　　　D. People whose incomes are over a certain amount.

 The New York City Marathon was started by a man named Fred Lebow．It began in 1970 as a small，unimportant race．Only 127 people ran，and just 55 of them finished．They ran around Central Park four times．Few people watched them run．However，over the years the marathon grew and became more popular．

Today people come from all over the world to run in the marathon．Runners must be at least 18 years old，but there is no age limit（限制）．In fact，the oldest runner was an 89-year-old man．Recently，more than 27,000 people ran in the New York City Marathon．Large crowds cheered the runners and offered them cold drinks and encouragement．

The course（路线）of the marathon has changed，too．Instead of running around Central Park，the runners go through the five districts of New York City：Queens，Brooklyn，Manhattan，the Bronx，and Staten Island．The marathon begins at the base（基座）of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in Staten Island．The runners go across the bridge into Brooklyn．Then they go up through Queens and into the Bronx．The marathon finishes in Central Park in Manhattan．The complete course is 26.2 miles，and takes the best runners less than 3 hours．

Although it has changed since 1970，the New York City Marathon is always exciting．Through the years，many unusual events（事件）have happened during the marathon．For example，Pat Tuz and John Weilbaker got married a few minutes before the race．Then they ran the race with their party members．Some people run the whole marathon as a family．Other people run the race backwards．

In the fall of 1992，Fred Lebow，the founder（创始人）of the New York City Marathon，slowly ran his last race．He was very ill with cancer，but he did not want to stop running．In October 1994，Fred died．However，the New York City Marathon，and all its excitement，will continue for many years to come．

1．根据短文内容完成句子（每空限填一个单词）

The course of the New York City Marathon in 1970 was to                    the Central Park four times．

2．根据短文内容完成句子（每空限填一个单词）。

Look at the map．A runner has to go across                    over the river before he completes the whole course．

3．根据短文内容完成句子（每空限填一个单词）。

In October 1994，                  to Fred Lebow，the founder of the New York City Marathon．

4．把短文中画底线的句子译成汉语。

5．根据短文内容回答问题（不超过10个单词）。

What does the writer want us to know about the New York City Marathon from the passage?