I love seeing Europeans line up in airports to applaud arriving refugees. But humanitarianism (人道主义) will not guide policy for long. We liberals need to argue from Europe’s self-interest: our continent has the need, the space and the ability to accept people.
Many European countries are gradually turning into old people’s homes. Germany, Italy, Spain and others have some of the lowest birth rates in human history. It is predicted that about one-third of their populations will be aged over 65 in 2050. Germany needs to import at least 350,000 people a year to keep its workforce stable. Suddenly, young ambitious workers are pouring into the country as if called by a genie (精灵) with a lamp. No wonder Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, has been more welcoming than David Cameron, British Prime Minister. But all over Europe, carers for old people are already in need. Norway found oil under the seabed but it would have been better off if it had discovered 50,000 nurses there instead.
Many rightwingers think we have reached our limits. This feeling is widespread. And it’s true that Western Europe is one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Indeed, density has long been Europe’s unique selling point: with so many people of different nations closely packed together, we have always traded goods and exchanged ideas fast. That’s why the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries happened here.
But we have plenty more room. Many European cities aren’t dense enough. Now east Germany, north-western Spain and gorgeous mountain villages in Italy are losing people. Lots of cities have unused industrial land.
Humans inhabit a slice of the EU’s territory. Only about 2.5 per cent of the EU’s land is used for housing, estimates the European Commission. By contrast, a whopping 43 per cent was used for agriculture in 2009, it says. That’s too much. We could turn more land into forest or into green landscapes where people can relax and play. Making that transition is feasible because we now use agricultural land inefficiently.
Migrants often spend years locked up together in serious government-funded “migrant centers”. However, the way to learn a new country’s language, make friends and find work is to live with a local. This crisis has shown that lots of Europeans are willing to take refugees into their homes. After Iceland’s government said it could take only 50 Syrian refugees, many Icelanders came forward offering to take a far greater number into their own homes. People aren’t just sitting around waiting for government to do something.
We need migrants, and we can accommodate them. If opponents just don’t like foreigners, they should say so instead of pretending to be hardheaded pragmatists (实用主义者).
1.Why is Angela Merkel willing to take in refugees according to the passage?
A. Germany has already stepped into aged society.
B. Birth rates in Germany are the lowest in history.
C. She is kind and shows sympathy for homeless people.
D. Refugees can make up the shortage of labor in Germany.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. No other region is more densely populated than Western Europe.
B. Density has become Europe’s most outstanding characteristic.
C. All European cities are not crowded together in great numbers.
D. Large quantities of unused industrial land will turn into forest.
3.It can be inferred that _______.
A. nurses are more badly needed than petrol in Europe
B. liberals always do something for the Europe’s benefit
C. aging problem in Germany is the worst in Europe
D. Europeans have already made intelligent use of the land
4.What is the last paragraph but one mainly about?
A. Migrants can privately be accommodated.
B. Migrants had better not live in migrant centers.
C. Everyone can live with migrants to help them fit in.
D. Everyone has done their own part to help migrants.
An oral drug, named ERDRP-0519, was invented. It is specifically designed to protect people who got infected measles(麻疹) from spreading the virus to others. Like the flu, measles spreads through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. There is typically a time, about two weeks, between becoming infected with the virus and the beginning of symptoms like skin rash(皮疹), runny nose, heavy cough and high fever.
“This therapy application determines the desired characteristics of the drug, which are orally available, cost-effective manufacture and high stability,” Richard Klemperer, professor of Georgia State University, told reporters last Wednesday.
“With these criteria in mind, we have developed a small drug that blocks the measles virus over the past years, which is essential for copy of the virus.”
The researchers tested the drug in rats infected with canine distemper virus(犬瘟病) , which is a close relative of measles virus. They found that all of the infected rats treated with the drug survived the deadly infection, showed no clinical signs of disease and developed a strong protective immune response.
The drug could be used to treat friends, family and other social contacts of a person infected with measles virus, which have not developed symptoms yet but are at risk of having caught the disease, Klemperer said truthfully.
“The emergence of strong antiviral immunity(抗病毒免疫力) in treated animals is particularly encouraging, since it suggests that the drug may not only save an infected individual from disease but contribute to closing measles immunity gaps in a population,” Klemperer said.
The researchers emphasized the drug is not intended as a substitute for vaccination, but as an additional weapon to get rid of the measles. They planned to test the drug’s safety in larger animals, before moving into clinical trials in humans.
“If our next series of studies confirms that the human situation mirrors what we have seen in rats, then this drug may make a major contribution to getting rid of measles by preventing local outbreaks” Klemperer said.
Despite the existence of an effective vaccine, annual measles deaths worldwide have remained constant at around 150,000 since 2007. The reasons for this are the highly infectious nature of the virus, in the developing world largely due to issues of resources, and in many developed countries in particular in the European region due to parental concerns regarding vaccination safety.
1.If a boy got infected by measles virus, he might NOT show the symptom like ________.
A. runny nose B. bad cough
C. high fever D. sick stomach
2. From what Klemperer said, we know that the drug _________.
A. is only intended as a substitute for vaccination
B. can only save those infected individuals from disease
C. is cost-effective and high stability for curing measles
D. has the same effect on human as on larger animals
3.The best title of the passage is_________ .
A. the Introduction of a New Oral Drug
B. the Desired Characteristics of Drugs
C. the Common Symptoms of Getting Measles
D. the Application of Post-exposure Therapy
The Best Time to Visit Sydney
If you prefer the cold to heat, especially if seeking to escape the northern summer, the best time to visit Sydney could be in the Australian winter from June 1 to August 31.
The Sydney winter isn’t really harsh and the weather’s generally pleasant. It’s great for touring the city on foot and for bushwalking. And the ski slopes are not too far away.
Holiday time
You get the Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend in June and the school holidays in July. Aside from within those periods, accommodation costs in the city will generally be lower.
Winter weather
Expect generally cool conditions. The average temperature should range from around 8°C (46°F) at night to 16°C (61°F) in the daytime in mid-winter. Expect from 80mm to 131mm of rainin a month, with the most rain in June tapering into August.
Winter accommodation
Outside of the holiday periods, Sydney accommodation will usually be available and should be relatively cheaper.
Winter activities
The weather’s fine for a walking tour of Sydney. Visit The Rocks, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Hyde Park, Chinatown, Darling Harbour.
Go on a harbor cruise. At the very least, take a Sydney ferry and cross the harbor to Manly.
Take a daytrip north, south and west of Sydney.
Spot the whales as they travel north in the whale migration season.
Go bushwalking at the Royal National Park.
1. Considering weather and accommodation, the best time to visit Sydney is in ________.
A. June B. July C. August D. December
2. Which of the following activities is NOT recommended in the passage?
A. Going skiing near Sydney.
B. Hunting whales in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
C. Touring Sydney on foot.
D. Bushwalking at the Royal National Park.
完形填空
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
One of the most significant actions of your life is that you support someone when you help him or her through a challenging time. However, the best is that when you support others, you are also supporting yourself. When you to give support to others, it is usually a that you are also stopping giving support to yourself.
I was hooked on a story about Donna, which clearly showed the of support.
Several months ago, Donna had just broken up with her boyfriend and had a difficult time accepting the . She refused to be accompanied and stayed at home , weeping all the time ,which certainly was not helping.
Early one morning, Donna received a phone call with some news: her best friend’s brother had been in an accident. Donna had known this friend, Mary, and her brother her entire life, and the news was devastating. Donna her sadness and got the soon and drove to Mary’s house to be with her.
At the and afterwards, she held Mary close while she cried tears, sat by her side as the waves of grief Mary, and slept next to her to make sure she did not wake up alone. During that time she hardly felt any in her heart.
Several weeks later, when life began to return to normal, Donna that the level of support she had given Mary far overtook any support she had herself during her dark time. She was able to use the support she had given her friend as a for the support she needed.
When you find yourself to support others, see if there’s something within yourself that is not supporting. , when you give complete support to others, it’ll mirror those places within you that require the same level of attention.
1.A. policy B. part C. position D. pattern
2.A. refuse B. pretend C. start D. decide
3.A. sight B. signature C. sign D. signal
4.A. example B. power C. function D. definition
5.A. disaster B. truth C. divorce D. loss
6.A. quietly B. worriedly C. alone D. along
7.A. terrible B. amazing C. dangerous D. surprising
8.A. claimed B. killed C. injured D. caught
9.A. really B. barely C. exactly D. nearly
10.A. removed B. overcame C. recognized D. changed
11.A. door B. gate C. car D. bus
12.A. pray B. party C. funeral D. break
13.A. endless B. enough C. permanent D. consistent
14.A. ran over B. turned over C. washed over D. looked over
15.A. sadness B. horror C. panic D. thrill
16.A. recalled B. realized C. reminded D. remembered
17.A. presented B. provided C. favored D. offered
18.A. mirror B. candle C. challenge D. gift
19.A. incredible B. inadequate C. unable D. unlikely
20.A. In short B. In other words C. On the whole D. On the contrary
In spite of his ________ to be a scholar in that field, he is not well equipped with that talent.
A. potential B. competence
C. ambition D. character
I’m afraid there might have been 1000 audience in the concert last night, _____?
A. am not I B. aren’t I
C. mightn’t there D. weren’t there
