British people have the worst quality of life in Europe, according to a report which highlights （强调) the long hours, bad weather, low life expectancy and high price of many goods.
In a study of ten of the largest European countries, Britain, which was considered a popular country to live in, now comes last followed by Ireland, with France and Spain topping the table.
Though British families enjoy the highest income in Europe, they still have to fight with a high cost of living, with fuel, food and alcohol all costing more than the European average.
With the high price of petrol, the UK is the second most expensive country in Europe. However, diesel (柴油) is more expensive in the UK than anywhere else in Europe.
The report by the website uSwitch analyses 10 European countries against 17 different benchmarks(基准点), from the price of gas, electricity, fuel, food and drink to the money each country spends on education, health to working conditions and the weather.
The top three countries are France, Spain and Denmark, with Sweden, Ireland and Britain coming eighth, ninth and tenth respectively.
The study comes less than a week after the United Nations moved Britain out of the top 20 list of most desirable countries to live in for the first time.
Although France and Germany were at the beginning hit hard by the global financial crisis, both have officially got out of the trouble, while Britain has yet to prove this has happened. Later this week, despite (尽管) signs of recovery in the housing market and rising sales, unemployment is still expected to have climbed to above 2.5 million for the first time since 1994.
1.Which country has the best quality of life in Europe according to the report?
A. Ireland. B. France. C. Sweden. D. Denmark
2.Which is TRUE according to the passage?
A. British families are suffering from the high cost of living.
B. The report comes after the website uSwitch analysed 10 Asian countries.
C. The price of petrol is higher in Britain than anywhere else in Europe.
D. The quality of British life is reported to be terrible because of the bad working conditions.
3.The underlined word “desirable” probably means .
A. terrible B. attractive C. expensive D. different
4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Britain is still struggling to get out of the global financial crisis.
B. Unemployment in Britain is expected to go down soon.
C. Recovery in the housing market leads to unemployment in Britain.
D. Britain has recovered from the crisis together with France and Germany.
Dear daughter,
You are a wonderful person and your mother and I think the world of you. It will not be long before you leave home to make your way in the world. Can I please give you some friendly advice? Here are some things that you should never do.
1. Never Look Down Upon Yourself.
You are great and able to achieve great things so believe in yourself. When things go badly, never stop believing. Some girls get upset, blame themselves and lose self-esteem. All kinds of problems can follow.
2. Never Get Obsessed With Your Appearance.
We think you look great (though some of the clothes you wear worry us!). Please be happy with the person ,you are and the body you have. Eat reasonably, take exercise and be healthy. Some girls show too much concern about losing weight or getting the perfect shape. You look fine.
3. Never Compromise Your Personal Safety.
Never put yourself at serious risk. This means that you cannot trust people until you really know them and that sometimes you have to avoid things that look like they might be fun. Never get drunk or take drugs. Unluckily there are some bad people out there and it is best not to take risks.
4. Never Give Less Than Your Best.
We are very proud of what you have achieved so far. You should be proud too. Keep doing well. Keep trying your hardest at everything you do. No one can ask for more than that.
5. Never Forget That Your Parents Love You.
Whatever happens in life, your family will still be your family. Whatever difficulties you meet with, you can always talk to us and we will try to help. We are here for you.
1. Why has the father written the letter to his daughter?
A. To express his love for her. B. To give her some advice.
C. To tell her what she should do. D. To help solve her problems.
2.What does the father think of his daughter’s appearance?
A. He thinks she looks fine although she’s unhealthy.
B. He is satisfied with the clothes his daughter wears.
C. He thinks his daughter should be happy with her appearance.
D. He thinks his daughter should lose weight to get the perfect shape.
3.The father advises his daughter not to __________.
A. ask her parents for help B. be proud of what she has achieved
C. believe in herself when things go badly
D. stop trying her hardest at everything she does
4.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. Never do anything funny. B. Never trust anybody.
C. Never put yourself in danger. D. Never care about your safety.
More people speak English than any other language except Chinese .English is the main language spoken in the United Kingdom，Ireland，Australia，New Zealand，Canada，the United States and some other countries. Altogether more than 450 million people speak English as their everyday language .Another 100 million or more speak at least some English. Most English words come from old Anglo Saxon，French，or Latin words.
Modern English developed through the efforts（努力） of literary(文学的)and political writings .Modern English was influenced by old English，the beginning of the university educated people，Shakespeare，the common language found in the middle of presentday England and an effort to show and standardize(使标准化)English.
British English，known as Standard English or Oxford English，underwent changes during the colonization(殖民)of North America and the creation（创建）of the United States .British English words changed into American English words，such as centre to center，metre to meter，theatre to theater and so on.
Until the 18th century，British and American English were very similar with almost no difference .Immigration（移民） to America by other English peoples changed the language by 1700.Noah Webster，author of the first authoritative(权威的)American English dictionary，created many changes.
1.Modern English developed through______.
A．the efforts of literary writings B．the efforts of political writings
C．old Chinese D．both A and B
2.American English changed from______ during the colonization of North America and the creation of the United States.
A．British English B．Standard English C．Oxford English D．all of the above
3.British English was almost similar to American English until the______ century.
A．20th B．19th C．18th D．17th
4.What is the title of the passage?
A．Why more people speak English B. What modern English is
C．When British and American English had no difference D．English and its development
The United States is full of cars. There are still many families without cars, but some families have two or more. However, cars are used for more than pleasure. They are a necessary part of life.
Cars are used for business. They are driven to offices and factories by workers who have no other way to get to their jobs. When salesmen are sent to different parts of the city, they have to drive in order to carry their products. Farmers have to drive into the city in order to get supplies.
Sometimes small children must be driven to school. In some cities school buses are used only when children live more than a mile away from the school. When the children are too young to walk too far, their mothers take turns driving them to school. One mother drives on Mondays taking her own children and the neighbors' as well. Another mother drives on Tuesdays, another on Wednesday, and so on. This is called forming a car pool. Men also form car pools, with three or four men taking turns driving to the place where they all work.
More car pools should be formed in order to put fewer cars on the road and use less gas. Too many cars are being driven. Something will have to be done about the use of cars.
1.The United States is filled with cars, but .
A. not every family has a car B. few families have two cars or even more
C. every American has a car D. every family has a car
2.What's the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Workers drive cars to offices and factories B. Salesmen drive to carry their products.
C. Farmers drive into cities to get supplies. D. Cars are widely used.
3.Which statement is true according to the third paragraph?
A. Small children are driven to school.
B. All children go to school by bus in some cities.
C. Mothers drive their children who can't walk to school.
D. School buses pick up all children.
4. Mothers form car pools in order that
A. they can drive to school B. they can take turns driving their children to school
C. they reach school quickly D. they can drive their children to school in time
Some people have very good memories, and can 26 learn quite long poems by ___27__ . There are other people who can only __28__ things that they have said again and again.
A __29__ memory is a great help in learning a language. __30__ learns his own language by remembering __31__ he hears when he is a small child. Some children __32__in their own country, and they seem to learn two languages ___33__ as easily as one. In school it is not so easy to learn __34__ foreign language because students have so __35 __time for it and they are busy with other lessons, too.
A man’s mind is rather like a camera, but it takes photos not only __36__ what we see but also of what we feel, hear, smell and taste. When we take a real photo__37__a camera, there is much to do when the photo is finished and __38__to show to our friends. In the same way there is much work __39__ before we can keep a picture __40__ in our minds.
1.A. easy B. easily C. interesting D. interestingly
2.A. heart B. mind C. memory D. attention
3.A. notice B. recognize C. remember D. learn
4.A. good B. poor C. rich D. bad
5.A. Nobody B. Somebody C. Everybody D. Anybody
6.A. that B. which C. / D. what
7.A .live B. don’t live C. didn’t live D. lived
8.A. almost B. mostly C. nearby D. hardly
9.A. the B. this C. one D. a
10.A. much B. little C. many D. few
11.A. about B. at C. with D. of
12.A. as B. for C. of D. with
13.A. certain B. ready C. clear D. sure
14.A. to be done B. to be doing C. having been done D. being done
15.A. up B. on C. ever D. forever
—Bruce, we are taking a ship trip to Australia tomorrow.
—That sounds exciting. _______.
A. All right B. Have a nice trip C. Very sorry D. Goodbye
