As China becomes increasingly urbanized (城市化), it has to find space for its urban and

rural citizens as both groups become increasingly integrated. Experts suggest a possible model

way may be “re-inventing” a “garden city”.

   China’s mega-cities are bursting at the borders and the country is now undergoing the quickest and biggest urbanization in the history of mankind. It is estimated that by 2025, China will have 400 million more people living in its cities, raising its urban population to 900 million. Besides, new satellite towns are mushrooming on the urban fringes while city ring roads are rippling outwards into the countryside at amazing speed. Satellite maps collected by Professor Joshua Bolchover at the University of Hong Kong bring the problem sharply into focus. They track the changing rural-urban framework in the past 30 years, and suggest that cities are cruelly destroying surrounding rural land and rapidly reducing the amount of arable（可耕种的）land, which gives way to new residential blocks, new industrial zones, new financial centers and the other inevitable signs and signatures of economic growth.

   This, however, is not sustainable growth pattern, especially when China has the world’s largest population to feed. So concerned urban planners are starting to note the social and physical effects of diaspora（大移居）when replaced rural communities are forced into the cities.

   On the other hand, a trend of thought is gradually taking shape and this is the concept of the “garden city”, a combination of country and city that is being proposed by architects and city planners. Hua Li, from Tao Architects, is among the many professionals with such a voice. His argument is supported by a long-term study on this subject. As Hua says, the answer is to preserve patches of productive farmland within urban boundaries. Less transportation means we have fresh agricultural products at lower costs and less carbon emission in the city. And urban farmland can also be showcased for agricultural tourism and education.

   The concept is already practiced at the grassroot level. Agriculture has gone into the air, up to roof and balcony in some communities in the cities. It’s common to see organic “hanging garden” on the roof of some traditional courtyard home. According to some people, the rooftop project translate to tangible (= practical) benefits, such as safe, nutritious vegetables, a cooler home in summer. Some say thanks to the tomatoes they plant that are natural insect killers, there’re fewer mosquitoes. Apart from these, it also contributes to better bonding with neighbors. Zhang, a doctor in Beijing, began creating his hanging garden five years ago. Since his garden became home to 30 kinds of vegetables and fruit --- all enough to feed his family, neighbors have enjoyed dropping by for a relaxing chat or just to see how well the lovely vegetables and fruit are doing.

   Although people like Zhang are still rare and the greening of roof space with vegetables and fruit takes skill and energy, with more positive media exposure and advanced technology there is the prospect that garden city will become common practice in the near future. By then, cities will no longer look so gray when seen from the satellites.

1.What is the purpose of paragraph 2?

   A. To show the experts’ concern about the increase of population.

   B. To persuade people into supporting economic growth in cities.

   C. To explain the reasons for the change of rural-urban framework.

   D. To inform the readers of the consequences of quick urbanization.

2.In Hua Li’s opinion, a combination of country and city will __________.

   A. benefit the environment and lower living costs

   B. become a project that needs a long-term study

   C. lead to more rural communities being replaced

   D. attract more farmers to take tours in cities

3. Zhang is mentioned (Paragraph 5) to show that __________.

A. he achieves his dream to own a hanging garden

B. hanging gardens are becoming more popular

C. the garden contributes to a better neighborhood

D. he is a pioneer to practise the gardening concept

4.As for the concept of the “garden city”, the writer feels_________.

   A. desperate      B. hopeful         C. disappointed        D. concerned

 

If you want to improve your child’s results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive.

　　Scientists also found that one of the most important parts of their brains was 12 percent larger than those of unfit children. They believe that encouraging children to take exercise from a very young age could help them do better at school later. Researchers from the University of Illinois, in the U.S., studied the brains of 49 children aged nine and ten using a magnetic resonance imaging scan (核磁共振摄影扫描), a technique which provides very detailed pictures of organs and tissues in the body.

　　They also tested the fitness levels of the children by making them run on a treadmill (跑步机). The scientists found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, was around 12 percent larger in the fitter children.

　　Professor Art Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Brain Research, said the findings had important implications for encouraging individuals to take part in sport from a young age. “We knew that experience and environmental factors and socioeconomic status all impact brain development,” he said. “If you get some terrible genes from your parents, you can’t really fix that, and it’s not easy to do something about your economic status. But here’s something that we can do something about.”

If you want to improve your children’s result in school, ____________.

A. it is worse to ensure that they do plenty of exercise

B. you can have their brain scanned

C. it could be better to make sure that they do a lot of exercise

D. you can do a lot except ensuring that they do exercise

According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The fitness level of the children is linked to their intelligence.

B. Children who have a larger hippocampus will probably have better memories.

C. You can do something about the genes from your parents.

D. Unhealthy children will probably have a smaller hippocampus than others.

All the following factors that have some influence on one’s brain are mentioned EXCEPT ____________.

A. genetic factor    B. economic status   C. physical fitness  D. economic development

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

C

China’s economic growth “hard to predict”

The worsening global economic situation makes it difficult for China to predict its growth for next year, a senior official said on Friday.

“How fast China’s economy will grow next year is uncertain,” Liu He, deputy director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economy Work, told China Daily.

“To a large extent, the rate will be decided by the external(外部) situation,” Liu said during a discussion with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and other economists in Beijing.

“This year, GDP is estimated to grow at 9.4 or 9.5 percent, down from 10.6 percent last year,” he said. “However, the impact of the current financial turbulence on our economy is much less than on the rest of the world.”

Nicholas Stern, a former UK government advisor, also told China Daily it will take at least one or two years for the world to recover from the recession, which is now spreading from the US and the UK to the rest of the world.

“We don’t know how long the recession will last, but it is unlikely to be short,” he said.

Liu said China can use the downturn(衰退) as an opportunity to restructure its economy, which has relied heavily on government investment, foreign trade and low-cost technology over the past years.

“When the economy is experiencing fast growth, companies are unwilling to upgrade their technologies,” Liu said.

“The slowdown gives such firms the opportunity to enhance(提高) their competitive edge through better technologies.”

(From China Daily 2009-01-11)

1.How many people are mentioned in this passage?

A．Only 2.

B．No more than 3.

C．Not more than 4.

D．At least 5.

2.It can be inferred from Liu’s words that the impact of the current financial turbulence on China’s economy is ______.

A．more

B．less

C．the most

D．the least

3.The underlines word “extent” probably means ______.

A．sense

B．degree

C．size

D．depth

4. According to the passage, the reason why Liu said this downturn is an opportunity for China to restructure its economy is that ______.

A．China’s economy will not depend on government investment in the future

B．Foreign trade will grow in the future

C．The downturn will force China’s companies to upgrade their technologies

D．Low-cost technologies will not exist in China

 

Seasonal influenza is characterized by a sudden fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose. Most people recover from fever and   1  symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention. But influenza can  2  severe illness or death in people at high risk. The time from infection to illness is about two days.

Yearly influenza epidemics can  3   affect all age groups, but the highest risk of complications occur among children younger than age two, adults age 65 or older, and people of  4   age with certain medical conditions, such as chronic heart, lung, kidney, liver, blood or metabolic diseases, or weakened immune systems.

Seasonal influenza  5   easily and can sweep through schools, nursing homes or businesses and towns. When an   6    person coughs, infected droplets get into the air and another person can breathe them  7    and be exposed. The virus can also be spread by hands infected with the virus.  8    transmission, people should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing, and  9   their hands regularly.

Drugs for influenza are   10   in some countries and effectively prevent and treat the illness. Some influenza viruses develop  11    to the antiviral medicines, limiting the effectiveness of treatment.

Influenza epidemics occur    12   during autumn and winter in temperate regions. Illnesses result in hospitalizations and deaths mainly among high-risk groups. Worldwide, these annual epidemics result in about three to five million   13     of severe illness, and about 250 000 to 500 000 deaths.

Influenza can cause serious public health and economic problems. In   14    countries, epidemics can result in high levels of worker absenteeism and productivity   15   .   16    most people recover from a bout(轮) of influenza, there are large numbers of people who need hospital treatment and many   17    die from the disease every year.   18     is known about the effects of influenza epidemics in developing countries.

The most    19   way to prevent the disease or severe outcomes from the illness is vaccination. Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of serious influenza complications, and for people who live with or care  20    high risk individuals.

(  ) 1. A. its                 B. it’s                    C. all                    D. other

(  ) 2. A. cause                 B. lead                  C. result                D. bring

(  ) 3. A. lightly           B. slightly             C. seriously           D. heavily

(  ) 4. A. all                 B. any                   C. no                    D. both

(  ) 5. A. goes              B. spreads              C. comes        D. happens

(  ) 6. A. to infect        B. infecting           C.  infected          D. infect

(  ) 7. A. off                B. away                 C. out                   D. in

(  ) 8. A. To prevent     B. To protect          C. To prepare         D. To prefect

(  ) 9. A. wash             B. washing            C. to wash             D. washed

(  ) 10. A. free             B. available           C. useful               D. helpful

(  ) 11. A. assistance     B. resistance          C. consistence        D. preference

(  ) 12. A. monthly              B. weekly              C. daily                 D. yearly

(  ) 13. A. pieces          B. states                C. conditions         D. cases

(  ) 14. A. developed    B. developing        C. big                   D. small

(  ) 15. A. lose             B. losses                C. loose                 D. lost

(  ) 16. A. For             B. Because             C. While               D. Whether

(  ) 17. A. /                 B. which               C. do                    D. who

(  ) 18. A. Little           B. Much                C. Few                  D. Lot

(  ) 19. A. affective      B. effective            C. attractive           D. aggressive

(  ) 20. A. about           B. of                     C. for                    D. to

BEIJING, China (CNN)-- China's economic growth dropped to 9 percent for 2008, according to numbers released by the government Thursday--in line with expectations, but still the slowest rate the nation has seen in seven years.

Economists are concerned about what the slowdown means for investment in the future, whether new projects will be undertaken in manufacturing companies and in factories. If not, it will translate into more job losses and erase any optimism about a rebound (反弹) in 2009.

Since 2001, China has been used to double-digit growth as consumers buy Chinese goods. However, the export sector was hit hard in late 2008, with December exports down 2.8 percent.

Consumer spending has mostly held up in China, as people there do not carry as much debt as their American counterparts and can continue to spend.

Consumer confidence, however, is a problem, said Dong Tao, Asia chief economist for Credit Suisse. Infrastructure (基础设施的建设) is the only thing driving the Chinese economy, Dong said.

Tens of thousands of Chinese factories have closed, millions of people are looking for jobs and an untold number of migrants who can't find work may be leaving cities for good because of the slowdown, which would have been unheard of six months ago.

Fourth quarter numbers showed growth at 6.8 percent. Goldman Sachs predicted 6.5 percent, down from 9 percent in the third quarter.

For all of 2008, Goldman Sachs had predicted 8.8 percent, down from 11.9 percent in 2007.

1. Since 2001, the slowest rate in annual economic growth China has seen is ___.

    A. 6.8%    B. 8.8%    C. 9%    D. 11.9%

2. According to Dong Tao, the only thing driving the Chinese economy is ____.

    A. export    B. infrastructure    C. consumer confidence   D. consumer spending

3. Which of the following is NOT the difficulty China is facing?

    A. Tens of thousands of factories have closed.

    B. Millions of people are looking for jobs.

    C. An uncertain number of migrant workers may be leaving cities forever.

    D. The terrible situation will erase any optimism about a rebound in 2009.

4. In which quarter of 2008 did the slowdown of China's economic growth first appear?

    A. 1st.    B. 2nd.    C. 3rd.    D. 4th.

5. The best title of this passage should be _____.

    A. China's Economic Growth Slows.

    B. Economic Crisis in China.

    C. Economists Analyze China's Economy.

    D. Several Factors Determine China's Economy