China's top labor official said the country is planning to push back the age at which workers can retire.
Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, demonstrated that we did not put a timetable on the move when he spoke about it during a forum at the weekend.
"Delaying the retirement age is a very complicated issue and we will study it according to the situations of population and employment and consider different groups of people," Yin said.
He noted that hikes in the retirement age have been brought in by many countries and can be a good way to deal with an aging population and ensure the healthy and stable development of social security.
The life expectancy of Chinese people is now 73 years and is expected to rise to 74 during the next five years, he said.
Nearly three out of 10 Chinese people will be older than 60 by 2040, according to a United Nations forecast.
The retirement age in China currently is 60 for men and 55 for female civil servants and 50 for female workers.
The idea of delaying the retirement age is being widely supported by government officials, while many laborers and non-government employees were less enthusiastic about the prospect of working for longer. Currently, they have to pay into their pension plans for at least 15 years before they can retire.
Chen Xianlian, a female worker at a motorcycle parts manufacturer in Chongqing municipality is among those who would like to see the retirement age left as it is. “I have to do lots of tough and repetitive work every day and I feel very tired after my working day,” the 41-year-old said. “All my colleagues are discussing the government's possible move to lift the retirement age. None of us wants to work any extra years.”
University graduates also fear that any rise in the retirement age could limit their employment opportunities.
1.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A．China is not planning to push back the age at which workers can retire
B．China is discussing the problem of delaying the retirement age now
C．China is probably going to delay the retirement age
D. China has pushed back the age at which workers can retire
2.The underlined word “hikes” in Paragraph 4 means ________.
A. increasingB. marchingC. pushingD. discussing
3.According to the current policy, Chen Xianlian has to work ________ more years from now before her retirement
A. 14B. 9C. 19D. 15
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. All the Chinese people support the new policy.
B. The life expectancy of Chinese people is expected to rise to 73 during the next five years.
C. The retirement age in China will be 60 for men and 55 for female civil servants and 50 for female workers.
D. The government did not set a fixed timetable on the new policy.
5.It can be inferred from the text that ________.
A．Chen Xianlian is a civil servant.
B．Delaying the retirement age is a very complicated issue.
C．Many countries have begun to delay the retirement age.
D．It may be harder for the university graduate to find a job in the future.
You probably hear it all the time — people telling you to “learn English”. But does this mean children in English-speaking countries don’t need to bother learning a new language? Not at all. In fact, an even larger number of young people will soon be taught foreign languages, thanks to the mental advantages of bilingualism.
Psychologists once thought that growing up bilingual might lead to verbal delays－a late or absent development of talking. But US magazine Scientific American has revealed that this is not true, and reported that children who speak more than one language “show greater mental flexibility, a superior grasp of abstract concepts and a better working memory.” As the New York Times put it, “being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter.”
In Europe, learning foreign languages is increasingly popular. A European report shows that from 2005-2010, the percentage of European students learning a foreign language rose from 67.5 percent to 79.2 percent. Most European kids start learning another language at age 6. In Belgium, it starts at 3. New reforms being introduced in the UK will mean all children could be taught a foreign language, such as Mandarin or Greek, from the age of 7. The most popular foreign language for European kids was English, followed by German and French.
In comparison, Americans don’t give a fig for learning foreign languages. Compared to 50 percent of European adults who are bilingual, only 9 percent of adults in the US are fluent in more than one language, according to a 2011 report. American students are often not exposed to a second language until high school.
However, recent statistics show demand is growing in the US for people to become more bilingual. According to a USA Today chart released in July, 21 percent of US children speak another language at home. A number of institutions in the country are also pushing foreign languages in schools. Three school districts in Delaware will launch Chinese and Spanish programs next year. More people are learning Chinese, French and Spanish.
1.Psychologist used to believe that children who grow up bilingual ________.
A. are more flexible mentally
B. are slow in the development of talking
C. have a poorer working memory
D. are smarter in understanding abstract concept
2.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. Americans are more interested in learning another language than Europeans
B. British kids began to learn foreign languages at the earliest age
C. 21% of US children study a foreign language in the school
D. not all schools in America are teaching foreign languages
3.What does the underlined phrase “give a fig for” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. attach importance to
B. have talent for
C. invest money in
D. have demand for
4.Which are the most popular foreign languages in the US?
A. Mandarin and Greek.
B. English, German and French.
C. Chinese, French and Spanish.
D. Chinese, German and Greek.
5.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Chinese is becoming more popular in western countries.
B. The benefits and advantages of growing up bilingual.
C. Western worlds are paying more attention to learning foreign languages.
D. The differences between bilingual education in Europe and USA.
It was once unheard-of to be a businessman in China. Nowadays, though, it’s quite common to become your own boss. Let’s say you have an idea. Maybe you want to open an English school or sell Japanese comics. First, you need a business plan. It sets out what you’ll sell and how much everything will cost. Most businesses that fail didn’t have this. If you need to borrow money at the start, banks will ask for a detailed plan.
The best starting place for a business plan is the 4Ps: product, place, price and promotion. All these must be strong to be successful.
□Product
Your product must have something unique. What makes it special compared to other similar products? If you want to start a noodle shop that has nothing new, don’t expect people to show much interest. You can research your product. For food, let people try it for free. For toys, let a few children play with them to see if they like them.
□Place
There’s no point having a product that people want to buy if your shop is in an empty mall. Think about which type of person is going to buy what you sell. Where do they usually go shopping? When looking at possible places, spend the day there. See how many people pass by. Also, are there other shops nearby selling similar products? If so, how can you be better than them?
□Price
Work out how much it costs to make or provide your product. As a general rule, your price will be double the cost. After all, you’re also paying for rent, staff and you need to eat too!
□Promotion
How can you attract people to your shop? Advertising in newspapers and on TV is expensive. Perhaps you can get free advertising by getting a newspaper to write about your business.
1.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. How to start a business.
B. Starting a business soon.
C. Starting your own business.
D. Preparations for starting a business.
2.According to the author, the reason why most businesses fail is due to lack of ________.
A. a business plan B. a shop C. money D. successful businessmen
3.If you want to start a noodle shop, you should ________.
A. expect people to show much interest
B. research your noodles
C. let people try it at a low price
D. let children have a try
4.What does “If so” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. There are shops selling the goods like yours.
B. Many people pass by.
C. You should think about which type of person is going to buy what you sell.
D. You should spend the day on possible places.
5.You are selling toys to children. It costs 5 yuan to make each one. How much should you charge the children for each toy?
A. 15 yuan.B. 5 yuan.C. 10 yuan.D. 50 yuan.
In the Western countries, especially in America, some social customs have lasted till today. For example, Ladies First, that is to say, women in these countries 1. (respect) in many ways.
In the USA, 2. in Europe, you will see men usually open doors for women, and women generally walk ahead of men into a room or restaurant, 3. the men have to be ahead of the ladies to choose the table, to open the door of a car or to give other services. On the street, men almost always walk or cross the street on the side of the ladies 4. is closer to the traffic. But if a man walks with two ladies, he should walk between 5. .
If the host or hostess comes to fetch their guest for dinner in a car, the guest should sit at the front seat and leave the back seat free, as the host or hostess is also 6. driver. When the host shows the guest to the sitting room, most men 7. (seat) in the room will stand up if the guest is a lady. Generally speaking, younger ones are introduced to older ones first. The ladies in the sitting room will not stand up 8. the new comer is a man or a woman.
Though today it is the fact that the custom is followed by 9. (few) people than in the past, especially among the young people, women of all ages still want to keep the custom. Anyhow, 10. is believed that women are still respected in many ways in the Western countries.
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. My family’s last vacation was a good to prove it. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break from school, and we were home from Fort Lauderdale after a week-long trip. The flight was , and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York, so I had to . But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged — okay, ordered — them to wait it out at the , to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a . And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to .
I've made living looking for the best deals and the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. So far, I feel proud that I have written a couple of including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I in.
I tell you this because there is no in getting your money’s worth. Honestly, I’m also when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people . And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. lasts.
1.A．sampleB．excuseC．situationD．example
2.A．leavingB．headingC．gettingD．arriving
3.A．overbookedB．overcrowdedC．overworkedD．overpowered
4.A．get onB．get over C．get backD．get away
5.A．seatsB．creditsC．bargainD．value
6.A．flightB．officeC．schoolD．airport
7.A．dollarB．timeC．familyD．work
8.A．pass upB．pass downC．pass along D．pass on
9.A．expanding B．expectingC．exposingD．explaining
10.A．dictionaries B．newspapersC．novelsD．books
11.A．believeB．putC．giveD．come
12.A．harmB．shameC．doubt D．shock
13.A．generousB．tightfisted C．joyfulD．patient
14.A．noticeB．realize C. know D．understand
15.A．SatisfactoryB．Quantity C．Ability D．Quality
Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are healthier than housewives. Evidence shows that the jobless are in poorer health than the job-holders. A study shows that whenever the employment rate increases by 1%, the death rate decreases correspondingly(相应地) by 2%. All this comes down to one point: work is helpful to health.
Why is work good for health? It is because work keeps people busy, away from loneliness. Researches show that people feel unhappy, worried and lonely when they have nothing to do. Instead, the happiest are those who are busy. Work serves as a bridge between man and reality. By work, people come into contact with each other. By collective activities, they find friendship and warmth. This is helpful to health. The loss of work means the loss of everything. It affects man spiritually and makes him likely to disease.
Besides, work gives one a sense of fulfillment and a sense of achievement. Work makes one feel his value and status in society. When a writer finishes his writing or a teacher sees his students grow, they are happy beyond words.
[写作内容]
1.以约30个词概括短文的要点；
2.然后以约120个词就“努力学习，快乐生活”的主题发表看法，并包括如下要点：
(1)你赞同“努力学习也可以快乐生活”这一观点吗？简要阐述理由。
(2)举例说明你的同学是如何努力学习并保持健康乐观的心态的？
(3)简述如何才能做到努力学习并快乐生活？
[写作要求]
在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中
的句子；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
[评分标准] 概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
