Cleveland has won the distinction of being the worst city in the United States, according to a new survey. The city has high unemployment, terrible weather, heavy taxes, and ordinary sports teams, all of which have pushed it to the No. 1 position in the Forbes.com list.
"Cleveland was the only city that fell in the bottom half of rankings in all nine categories. And it has been entitled with a less than endearing nickname: the Mistake by the lake," Forbes said on its website,
The economic downturn hit cities across the United States last year particularly in the mid-west section of the country. Crime and unemployment secured the No. 2 spot for Stockton, which held the top position in last year's ranking. Memphis got third place thanks to its violent crime rate and the number of officials who are guilty, while the poor auto industry drove the Michigan cities of Detroit and Flint into the top five.
"A lot of the cities that showed up on our list are going through hard times fight now, dealing with high unemployment, with declining producing bases. Many have experienced strong movement out of the city over the last 20 and 30 years."
Despite (尽管) its fine weather, Miami scored in the bottom 10 percent in commuting (上下班往返) time, and violent crime which sent it into sixth place.
"One of the biggest surprises is Miami. The good weather and no state income taxes blur some of the severe problems that Miami has related to crime as well as long commutes," Badenhausen added.
Florida was followed in the poor ranking by St Louis, Buffalo, Canton, Ohio and Chicago, which has the country's highest sales tax at 10.25 percent. New York, the nation's biggest city, is rich in culture but its lengthy commuting time and high income taxes pushed it into 16th place.
【小题1】From the text we can learn that ______.

A．Cleveland has been entitled a lovely nickname

B．the economic downturn hit cities in the mid-east section

C．Miami scored in the bottom 10 percent in all nine categories

D．commuting time in New York is too long

【小题2】What information can be inferred according to the text?

A．The number of officials who are guilty is large in Memphis.

B．Stockton got second place in last year's ranking.

C．High income taxes made New York get 16th place.

D．Ohio has the country's highest sales tax.

【小题3】The word "blur" underlined in the last paragraph but one probably means ______.

A．make it possible

B．make it unclear

C．make if obvious

D．make it important

【小题4】Which of the following is the correct ranking order?

A．Cleveland, Detroit, Miami, Buffalo, Florida.

B．Stockton, Miami, Flint, Florida, Canton.

C．Cleveland, Stockton, Miami, Chicago, Florida.

D．Stockton, Detroit, Miami, Florida, St Louis.

 

   

 

We invite you to join us this summer for the First ePals Conferencel

    Dear ePals Community Member, ePals will hold its first conference

for tech directors and teachers on Tuesday, July 15, in Boston. Our one-day

event is a pre-conference of Alan.

November’s Building Learning Commurities 2008 Conference.

Come see how ePals, the Internet’s largest social learning network, can

transform your classroom,

school and district with our award-winning, safe and protected School

M@ilTM and SchoolBlogTM

offered at no cost.

ePals team members, expert teachers and instructional technology directors will share their

experiences using the ePals Global Community to build 21st Century skills in the classroom.

Among the speakers are:

•       Tim DiScipio, co-founder of ePals, sharing the vision for global collaboration and corporate partnerships with National Geographic, the classmate PC powered by Intel, and the XO from One Laptop Per Child

•       Dr. Kari Stubbs on "ePals 101: Where and How to Start Using Global Collaborative Tools in Project-based Learning." Dr. Stubbs led the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) initiative in Kansas before joining ePals as director of professional development.

•       Dr. Rita Oates on "Accomplishing the New NETS Standards for Students with ePals Tools and Activities." Dr. Oates formerly was in charge of ed tech in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

•       Dr. Laurie Henry, University of Kentucky, talking about literacy(读写能力) issues in the online world

•       Dr. Shelia Gersh, City Colleges of New York, sharing her ePals project as an example of a successful 21st century online educational experience

•       Carol Bar, teacher at Blue Valley High School(KS), "Blogging for Language Acquisition"

•       Adina Popa, teacher at Potowmack Elementary (VA), will speak about schoolwide use of ePals and video conferencing to other classrooms

•       Several district tech directors talking about best practices in implementation(安装) and use in their districts for safe and protected student email and blogs

•       Other classroom teachers sharing their experiences for instructional success in the online community and using free, safe and protected online tools from ePals

Register and get more information at www.epals.com/conference

1.The letter is written to _______.

         A．attract more customers

         B．answer readers’ questions

         C．inform related people of a conference

         D．recommend some teachers

2.From the text we can learn that ______.

         A．the July 15 conference is just a pre-conference

         B．the July 15 conference will last till November

         C．BLC08 will be set up at the July 15 conference

         D．the BLC08 Conference will be held this summer

3.________ will talk about his/her experiences in using the ePals and video conference in classrooms at school.

         A．Tim DiScipio                                                   B．Dr. Laurie Henry  

         C．Adina Popa                                                  D．A tech director

4.It can be inferred from the text that ePals here _______.

         A．refer to those who keep in touch with each other through email

         B．is in fact a software for online language study

         C．is an expensive tool for language learners on the Internet

         D．refer to all the language teachers who globally communicate with each other

 

 Sitting is art that isn’t getting passed along. People these days feel as though they have to be doing something. If they are not working, they are jogging, or playing tennis or golf, or taking courses to improve their minds or bodies –or they are parked in front of the TV. Sitting in front of the TV isn’t sitting – it’s watching.

People used to sit a lot. You would walk down the street or drive down the road, and there they would be, out on the doorsteps, sitting. You could go down to the store and sit on the bench out front in the summer or around the fire in the winter. There were sitting benches out in the town square. At the garage, there were straight-backed chairs. There among the oilcans and tries and spare parts, you could kick back and sit.

Houses used to have sitting rooms, where the grown ups would go after Sunday dinner. Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Aunt Ruby would sit and digest (消化) the fried chicken and talk about Aunt Ethel’s illness, and how well the minister did today. Outside, the children would play, and the afternoon would pass by in a comfortable haze (悠闲的氛围).

That sort of thing looks like doing nothing. A recharging battery (正在充电的电池) doesn’t look as if it’s doing anything either. Sitting restores your soul if you want to enjoy a truly full life, don’t just do something –sit there.

1.What message does the author try to get through to us ?

A．People should make better use of their sitting room.

B．People should spend less time watching TV.

C．People should pass down their good habits.

D．People should take things easy for their own good.

2.We can learn from the second paragraph that  _____________

A．people lived a more restful life in the past

B．towns were built to make living convenient

C．small town garages had a lot to offer

D．people enjoyed going out for a drive

3.The sitting room mentioned in the text used to be a place for______________.

A．eating food .

B．watching TV .

C．gathering together.

D．playing with children.

4. From the text we know the writer believes_______________

A．sitting has a good spiritual effect	B．sitting helps people remember the past
C．sitting rooms may have different purposes	D．a sitting room is important for the old.

 

Inside China Daily

China, Japan ink fishery agreement The New China-Japan Fishery Agreement will be put into effect starting June this year. Chinese vice-minister of agriculture, Qi Jingfa told a press conference yesterday in Beijing.                      -Page 2 Offshore funeral(葬礼) The remains of more than 500 dead will be scattered at sea this spring near the mouth of Yangtze River in Shanghai. To save space Shanghai officials discouraged land burials.   –Page 3 The only wise choice Co-operation with the mainland for a peaceful reunification (统一) should be the only wise choice for the newly elected Taiwan leader.                               -Page 4 The Art Market  Interest in activities such as fairs, galleries and exhibitions has caused the art market to take shape in China.   -Page 9 Two sides of a story The government’s efforts to cut the homework burden of primary and middle school students have drawn mixed reactions.   -Page 10 Blind, but not out. Yang Jia, an English professor at the Chinese Academy of Science meets the challenges brought by the sudden loss of her eyesight and continues to make it in her work.   -Page 11

The above section may possibly appear on _________ of China Daily.

A. Page 5    B. the Front Page   C. Page 9    D. the last page 

From the text we can know that _________.

A. a blind professor can work better

B. Chinese fishermen can go fishing freely in Japan soon

C. no one will be buried in the ground after they die in Shanghai 

D. more and more people have begun to do art business

When you look through this issue of China Daily, you are sure to find ______.

A. how Taiwan’s new leader was made   

B. that people think differently of reducing pupils’ burden

C. sad stories about students with heavy burden in primary and middle schools

D. interesting stories of art fairs, galleries and exhibitions of different shapes in China

Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “scattered” according to the text?

A. covered a wide area  

B. searched for in a wide area

C. suddenly moved apart in different directions 

D. thrown over an area so that objets land apart from each other

If someone feels upset for the sudden trouble and want to encourage himself, what would

you suggest he should read in China Daily?

A. Blind, but not out.      B. Two sides of a story  

C. The only wise choice    D. Offshore funeral

Everyone has good days and bad days.

Sometimes, you feel as if you’re on top of the world. But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and you cannot focus on your schoolwork.

For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem (自尊) is the key to success. Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.

“Forget about self-esteem,” says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist (心理学家) at the University of Michigan, US. “It’s not the important thing.”

Feeling good

Crocker’s advice may sound a bit strange because it is good to feel good about yourself.

Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.

But, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.

He believes that violent and wicked people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said: “There’s no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school.”

Problems

All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos (自我) that can make them less likeable to their peers(同龄人), said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.

People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.

What to do

Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something try to learn from the experience. “The best therapy (药方) is to recognize your faults,” Vohs says. “It’s OK to say, ‘I’m not so good at that,’ and then move on.”

The new research comes to the conclusion that high self-esteem ________.

A. is not important at all                     B. has taken on a different meaning

C. may not be the key to success         D. does not help you do better at school

One of the conclusions of the new research is that ________.

A. feeling good about oneself doesn’t mean you lead a happier life

B. people with high esteem usually do not seek other’s help

C. people with high esteem tend to be proud

D. people with low esteem are often more popular

The underlined part “a better person” in the passage probably means a person who is ________.

A. helpful and supportive                    B. gentle and modest

C. likable and successful                     D. friendly and kind

From the text, we can infer the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for people ________.

A. with high self-esteem                B. with low self-esteem

C. of all kinds                      D. who are focusing on building self-esteem