From bankers to factory staff, employees in the west face the bleak prospect of losing their jobs as a global recession starts to bite. For colleagues in the East the pain is more likely to come through a pay cut.

Human resource experts say cultural differences explain why Asian firms try harder to keep jobs in difficult times, which will stop unemployment and may help keep Asian economies afloat at a time of slowing exports.

The East Asian attitude may also make it easier for firms to recover quickly from the economic downturn since they will not need to rehire or train new staff, leaving some experts predicting Western shift to Eastern flexibility.

“In the Confucian attitude, the right thing to do is to share the burden. There is the sense of collective responsibility whereas in the west, it’s more about the individual survival,” said Michael Benotlel, associate professor of organizational behavior at Singapore Management University.

Steven Pang, Asian Regional director for Aquent, a headhunting firm, said in many East Asian companies there was an responsibility “ to take care of the members of the family and go through the pain together” even if that meant causing losses.

Us firms from General Motors to Goldman Sachs plan to lay off workers by the thousands. But at the Asian units of Western multinationals, jobs cuts will probably be less severe.

Japan’s jobless rate was 4 percent in September, up from 3.8 percent in January, while Hong Kong’s was flat at 3.4 percent. But US unemployment is expected to have jumped to 6.3 percent last month from below 5 percent in January.

Experts say that while there are noticeable differences in labor practices in East

and West, the gap will narrow as more firms become more multinational and competition forces firms to adopt the best practices of rivals from abroad.

According to the passage, what does “to share the burden” mean?

( less than 6 words)

____________________________________________________________________

Why would firms in the west lay off workers when facing a bleak prospect?

( no more than 5 words)

____________________________________________________________________

Why is it easier for the East Asian firms to recover quickly from the economic downturn? (no more than 12 words)

____________________________________________________________________

What’s the passage talking about? (no more than 15 words)

   ____________________________________________________________________

Water, which covers about 74 percent of the earth’s surface, is man’s most precious resource. Without it we cannot live. Clean water keeps us alive; polluted water means disease and death. Keeping our water pure is by no means an easy task but it is something that must be done.

Hong Kong once prided herself on being the “Fragrant Harbour”. However, these days, it is not certain if Hong Kong’s harbour could still be called “fragrant”. For, like many other places, Hong Kong has not been spared water pollution. A visit to Tolo and Victoria Harbour, or any of the beaches in Hong Kong is enough to make one aware of the ugly truth that Hong Kong waters are indeed polluted.

The great threat to our water is bacteria pollution. Another great source of water pollution is poisonous chemicals. These substances, which are found in industrial waste and agricultural pesticides, make up unseen dangers that enter biological food chains.

Pollution control is a continuing problem for the government. It is believed that the most effective form of control is legislation（立法）. Most importantly, the present laws on pollution should be given more force. On the other hand, no amount of legislation can effectively control pollution unless those concerned are properly educated about the danger posed by pollution.

While a great majority of Hong Kong citizens and residents seem to be greatly concerned about ways to control water pollution, it is discouraging to note that there are, in our midst, some people who remain apathetic（无动于衷）about the problem. In a recent radio programme conducted on what people in the streets thought about the water pollution problem, one apparently unconcerned person said, “What do I care about water pollution? I don’t drink polluted water. As long as the water I drink is not polluted, I’m not bothered. Water pollution is too big a problem and let’s leave it to the government.”

If all residents in Hong Kong will take such an indifferent attitude, all the government’s attempts to control pollution, let alone the anti-pollution legislation, will prove useless. The best form of pollution control each citizen can employ is to be aware of his surroundings. We hope that someday, the problem of water pollution in Hong Kong will cease to alarm us.

1.By the underlined sentences, the writer wants to show that ______.

A. we should not use polluted water

B. it is our responsibility to keep our water clean and safe

C. clean water is vitally important to the survival of human beings

D. water is abundant but very expensive    

2.What can you infer from the second paragraph?

A. Hong Kong indeed deserves the name. 

B. Hong Kong never deserves such a name.

C. Hong Kong can’t avoid the damage of pollution. 

D. Hong Kong has failed to live up to such reputation.

3.The writer quotes the words in the programme to show us that a block to the solution of the problem is _________.

A. people’s lack of education         

B. people’s I-don’t-care attitude

C. people’s wait-and-see attitude     

D. people’s over-dependence on the government

4.In the final analysis, the best approach to the problem of water pollution is ________.

A. legislation                     

B. rapid development of modern science 

C. mass education                  

D.everybody taking care of his own surroundings

 

Wong Fuk-wing(黄福荣), a Hong Kong volunteer（志愿者）at an orphanage（孤儿院）in Yushu, was killed in the earthquake when he was trying to save others on April 14, 2010.
Wong managed to run safely out of the building with some children when the first quake happened at 7:50 am on April 14, but he went back inside to rescue three other children and three teachers inside, although he knew the danger of aftershocks（余震）.
At 10 am, all the children and one of the teachers were saved. However, Wong was buried under the fallen building and died. The other two teachers were still waiting to be rescued.
46-year-old Wong was a truck driver, who often said he could only give his efforts to charity（慈善）instead of money, as he did not earn a lot. His tragic（悲剧的）end touched the hearts of many people both in Hong Kong and on the mainland.
Wong began volunteering in 2002. In 2003, Wong was told by the doctor he got serious illness, which gave him a great blow. However, the illness did not deter the warm-hearted man. When the earthquake struck Wenchuan is Sichuan Province in 2008, Wong rushed to the disaster area of Shifang to offer his help though his family did not want him to go.
In fact, Qinghai is a place Wong had often visited since 2006. As a volunteer, he gave out medicine and clothing to the orphanage there. No one could expect that Wong would die helping others.
Hong Kong Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said he had “the highest respect” for the hero who gave his life for others. “What he did has shown the Hong Kong spirit.” The citizens of Hong Kong called him “ the pride of Hong Kong’s people” and people on the mainland have also praised him as “ a true hero”.
【小题1】Wong died in the earthquake          .

A．after he sent medicine and clothing to the orphanage

B．when he returned to save the teachers and students

C．because he suffered from his serious illness again

D．as the first earthquake happened

【小题2】The underlined word “ deter” in Para. 5 refers to “      ”.

A．prevent

B．refuse

C．beat

D．encourage

【小题3】What can we know about Wong from the passage?

A．He never visited Qinghai before 2010.

B．He was supported by his family being a volunteer.

C．He was thought highly of by the Chinese.

D．He was a taxi driver before he died.

【小题4】Why are so many people deeply moved by the story of Wong?

A．He always offered money to the orphanage.	B．He fought against his illness bravely.
C．He helped the orphanage though being poor.	D．He put other people’s lives above own.

Ad．1  April fool’s party

On Friday, April 1, Inner Affair goes back to the days of funk! Classic Tunes from the 70’s and 80’s by DJs Den & Sion．9 pm till late．

Tickets：Free entrance for those in costume, otherwise 50 yuan（US $6）

Time/date：9pm, April 1

Place：Inner Affair, 1/F Qiankun Dasha, 6 Sanlitun xiliujie, Chaoang District

Tel：8454-0321

Ad．2  Language in use

Enjoy free in-house coffee, tea and beer as well as music and dancing．Practice your Chinese, make friends and have fun．

Time/date：7 to 9 pm, March 25

Place：Language In Use Club, 2/F, Science Fortune Centre, 8 Xueqing Lu, north of Xueyuan Lu, Haidian District．

Ad．3  The “worst ” party

Organized by 0-zone productions, the party is set to be “the worst ever,” with the lamest music from the 60s, 70s and 80s．Special prizes will be awarded to the worst dressed or for bad fashion sense．

Tickets：Free entrance

Time/date：9 pm, April 1

Place：Pula Pula, Tianze Lu, Oriental Seven Colors Plaza, Chaoyang District

Ad．4  La Nuit Francaise

Again on the 2^nd Thursday of the month La Nuit Francaise will be held at Le Rendezvous．The monthly event is an opportunity for all French people and everyone interested in France of speaking French to gather together．

The evening features three glasses of wine and canapés for participants and a special exhibition．

Time/date：7 to 10pm, April 14

Place：Le Rendez-vous, 3 Gongti Beilu, across from the Pacific Century Plaza Chaoyang

Ad．5  Marco V

Dutch DJ Marco V drops by Banana for a gig which is supported by Hong Kong’s DJ Spark．

Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, style-blending deejay and successful and devoted producer．His spinning is energetic, crowd-pleasing and never sees an empty dance floor．He was ranked No 15 in this year’s international DJ MAG DJ Top 100．

Tickets：40 yuan （US $ 4．80） in advance, 50 yuan（US$6） at the door, both include a free drink．

Which of the following is NOT True of Ad．1and Ad．3 ?

A．The two parties will be held on the same day．

B．The two parties will be held at the same time．

C．The entrance fees of the two parties will not be charged．

D．Some old music will be played at the parties．

Which of the following is intended for the Chinese learners?

A．Marco V                              B．La Nuit Francaise

C．Language in use                      D．The “worst” party

Which of the following events takes place every month?

A．Marco V                              B．La Nuit Francaise

C．The “worst” party                      D．Language in use

We can infer that _____．

A．Marco V is a newly-established band

B．La Nuit Francaise may be French words

C．The “worst” party will attract a lot of college students

D．You will enjoy free drink at April fool’s party

Hong Kong, major commercial center for Asia, and with a population which has grown at an alarming rate to over 5 million, is a city highly dependent on mass (大量的, 大规模的) transit of all sorts, both local and long distance. An ordinary Hong Kong worker or businessman, going about his daily activities, simply must use transportation at one time or another.    

Because Hong Kong is in two parts, Kowloon, on the mainland side, and Hong Kong, the island, with Hong Kong's harbor in between Hong Kong's mass transit systems, in addition to going over land they must also cross water.    

Going from home to work, or going shopping from one side of the harbor to the other, the Hong Kong resident has three choices. One way is to take a bus which will cross the harbor through an under water traffic tunnel moving slowly through bumper- to-bumper (一辆接一辆) traffic．Another way is by ferry boat , a pleasant ride which crosses the harbor in from seven to fifteen  minutes.    

But by far the fastest way of crossing the harbor is the newly built underground electric railway, the Hong Kong Metro(地铁). If one gets on the train in the Central District,the commercial area of Hong Kong on the island side, he can speed across the harbor in an astonishing three minutes. On the other side of the harbor the railway continues, snaking back and forth through the outlying districts of Kowloon, allowing one to get off a short distance from his destination.    

       The story of the Metro is an encouraging one for supporters of mass transit. Although building the system was certainly a challenging task, the Japanese firm hired to construct it did so in record time. Construction got underway in 1979 and it was completed in 1980.    

       For the average commuter (一般持月票往返两地的乘客) the system has only one disadvantage; it is more expensive than by bus or ferry. One can ride the bus across the harbor for half as much or he can ride the ferry across for less than one-fifth as much.

Hong Kong public transportation extends ________.

     A．over hills and valleys             B．across land and water   

     C．through mountains               D．throughout the Kowloon area

Crossing the harbor by train is ________. 

     A．by far the most economical methods

B．the most pleasant method   

     C．the least pleasant method         

D．the fastest method

The business area on the island side of Hong Kong is referred to as ________.  

     A．Kowloon                          B．the Central District   

     C．the Hong Kong Metro       D．downtown Hong Kong

The underground railway ________.   

     A．winds through Kowloon              B．ends when it reaches Kowloon   

C．snakes across the harbor                D．circles Kowloon