Money matters, no matter who or where you are. So when China’s currency the yuan was devalued (贬值) against the US dollar for three straight days in mid-August, the world felt the effects. As CNN put it: “If China sneezes, the world catches a cold.”
Why does it matter so much?
The exchange rate is the term for the comparison of two currencies. It says how much one currency is worth in terms of (换算) the other.
“Exchange rates play an important role in a country’s level of trade. It is one of the most important determinants (决定因素) of a country’s relative level of economic health,” wrote Jason Van Bergen of Forbes.com. A higher currency makes a country’s exports more expensive and imports cheaper, and vice versa (反之亦然).
Devaluation means the same amount of RMB can be exchanged for fewer USD. For example, on Aug 11, the exchange rate of RMB to USD was 6.23, which meant $1 was worth the same as 6.23 yuan. Two days later, the rate changed to 6.4, meaning the value of RMB had dropped by 2.7 percent.
So what does a weaker currency mean for our lives?
It first affects those who want to travel to, or study in, the US. If your former classmate is leaving for a preparatory (预科) school in the US at the end of August, it now costs about 1,800 yuan more to exchange currency for 10,000 US dollars than it did earlier this month. However, since many currencies have decreased in value, the value of yuan is still relatively high despite the recent devaluation. This means it costs 1,200 yuan less to get 10,000 Canadian dollars now than it did in March.
Even if we don’t have plans to travel abroad, though, we could still be affected. For example, your mother will have to pay more if she buys directly from overseas websites with US dollars. And chances are that imported chocolate and potato chips will soon be a bit more expensive in your local supermarket.
However, the weaker yuan is good news for Chinese exporters. It makes Chinese exports less expensive and it could boost the overseas sales that have been among the main reasons for China’s economic growth during its rise over the past 30 years.
Just as Erik Britton of Fathom, a London-based economic consulting firm, told The Guardian: “We’re all going to feel it: we’ll feel it through commodities (商品), not just from China but from everywhere that has to compete with it; and we’ll feel it through wages.”
“The devalued yuan will force China’s Asian rivals (竞争对手), such as Indonesia and South Korea, to compete even harder,” wrote Heather Stewart, economics editor of The Guardian. “The result may be cheaper Christmas presents.”
1.According to the passage, it can be learned from the passage EXCEPT___________
A. The higher China’s currency is , the less expensive potato chips from America become.
B. In March people spent 1,200 yuan more to get 10,000 Canadian dollars than they do today because Canadian dollars increased in value.
C. China’s currency’s devaluation against the US dollar in mid-August makes students studying in America pay more school fees.
D. People who work in Fathom will be greatly affected on account of the weaker yuan.
2.The passage implies that ___________.
A. The yuan’s devaluation contributes a lot to China’s economic growth .
B.Exchange rates are the most important factor determining a country’s relative level of economic health
C. The yuan’s devaluation has a great impact on all the countries in the world.
D.Chinese exports sell well overseas because of their high quality
3.If the exchange rate of RMB to USD increased from 6.5 to 6.7, how much more percent would you pay when you bought a bag worth $100?
A. 2.7 B. 5.4 C.20.0 D. 3.1
Masterclasses---Researching your novel
When it comes to fiction, research skills are as important as writing skills. Whatever your theme or setting, research skills are an invaluable resource for any writer.
On this course, novelist Alex Preston will show you how to use various research sources to write convincing , powerful stories. You’ll explore online horizons far beyond Wikipedia, and access vast resources of the un-sohuable.
Course description
Through a mix of talks and practical exercises, you’ll learn how to weave
professional-standard research into the fiction writing process to improve all aspects of your work.
Topics include
Resources for research ---using the Internet , libraries and media to enrich your story
Backgrounds---how to use your research to make your story interesting
Shortcuts ---how to research on a tight budget
Writing the past and the present --- how to use detail to bring the world of your story to life
Theories of research--- from Laurent Binet to Hilary Mantel, looking at how the masters work
Practical exercises--- a series of writing exercises designed to inspire and instruct
This course is for you if …
You are an experienced writer currently writing or planning a novel which requires more research than you’ve previously undertaken
You are a new fiction writer struggling with building a convincing world.
You are currently having plotting or structural problems with a novel
Tutor profile
Alex Preston is a prize-winning novelist and journalist. He appears regularly on BBC television and radio and writes for The Observer and GQ Magazine
Details
Date: 21 December 2015
Times: 10 am-5 pm. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the start time.
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price:
Early bird special￡199 ( limited in number)
Regular price ￡229
( all prices include VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
Tickets may be paid back if you contact us at least 7 days before the course start date.
Book now and join our masterclasses ASAP!
1.If you want to make your story real and vivid, you should focus on “_______”
A. Backgrounds
B. Practical exercises
C. Resources for research
D. Writing the past and the present
2.The course is targeted at those who _________
A. are trying their best to work out ideal characters in a story
B. are popular writers with several works completed
C. write for famous magazines regularly
D. lack enough persuasive writing skills
3.Which of the following is Not true according to “Details” ?
A. Only less than twenty people can be admitted into the course.
B. The favourable price includes lunch and desserts.
C. Those who book in advance can get a 15% discount
D. The whole course lasts seven hours.
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，并在答题纸(卡)上将该项涂黑。
Today the scientific community is in almost total agreement that the earth’s climate is changing and that this represents a huge threat to the planet and to us. According to a survey, with only 69% accepting the earth is warming— only 1 in 4 Americans see global warming as a major threat, public opinion ________ the scientific conclusion.
Climate scientists and campaigners have long debated how to better communicate the message to nonexperts so that climate science can be ________ into action. According to Christopher Rapley, the usual tactic(策略) of climate experts to provide the public with information isn’t________ because “it does not address key potential causes.” We are all exposed to the evidence of climate change on an almost a daily basis. The information is almost ___________.
Then what’s wrong? _______our brains.
Daniel Gilbert mentioned our brains’ failure to accurately notice gradual change. Robert
Gifford also _________the point about our brains’ difficulty in grasping climate change because of limited cognition and social ______ with other people (“Why should we change if X won’t?”) “ A more powerful barrier is the ___________ of perceived （感知的）behavioral control; ‘I’ m only one person; what can I do ?’ is certainly a big one. For many, the first challenge will be in recognizing barriers _____ they can overcome them”
But for those of us who understand that climate change is a problem yet make little effort
to cut the number of overseas trips we make or the amount of meat we consume, neither the uncaring attitude nor denial really explains the _________between our actions and beliefs. Lertzman has come to the conclusion that the conflict between ________ both the planet and our way of life is too painful to bear. “When we don’t ________ the pain of that, that’s when we get ______and can’t move forward.” Lertzman refers to this ________ as “environmental melancholia(忧郁症),” and points out that there’s a lot to be said for providing a means______ acceptable to talk about.”
Rosemary Randall suggests that climate change is such a(n) __________ subject that it “can raise fears and anxieties that people feel have no_________ in polite conversation.”
Lertzman says the community has been slow to realize the value of psychology. Gifford says otherwise,________—“ climate change, and not mental health, is the biggest psychological problem”
Despite the pain, shame, difficulty in fully addressing climate change, both Lertzman and Gifford are still _______ about our ability to face up to the challenge. “There can’t be anything about the human mind that stops us struggling with these issues , given that so many people ______ are — maybe that’s what we should be focusing on instead.” says Lertzman.
1.A. accounts for B. falls behind C. wishes for D. leaves behind
2.A. translated B. sprung C. forced D. sent
3.A. revolutionary B. detailed C. popular D. enough
4.A. unreliable B. unbearable C. unacceptable D. unavoidable
5.A. Submit B. Control C. Blame D. Curse
6.A. picks up on B. gets down to C. throws back on D. looks up to
7.A. connections B. comparisons C. competence D. development
8.A. sense B. problem C. lack D.effect
9.A. if B. though C. before D. since
10.A. relationship B. disagreement C. gap D. balance
11.A. caring about B. taking on C. fighting against D. putting away
12.A. feel B. process C. remember D.hide
13.A. hit B. puzzled C. stuck D. stressed
14.A. conflict B. event C.hesitation D. inability
15.A. socially B. environmentally C. culturally D. morally
16.A. complex B. controversial C. awkward D. disturbing
17.A. idea B. goal C. place D. choice
18.A. somehow B. however C. therefore D. either
19.A. optimistic B. concerned C. cheerful D. encouraged
20.A. equally B. still C. especially D. already
—I just can’t believe that Ella the cat has left me forever.
— ______ and cry. Don’t hold it in.
A. Don’t worry B. Go ahead
C. Forget it D. Help yourself
In Alice Munro’s novel, Carla, trapped in a bad marriage, ______, decides to flee.
A. her unhappiness being built into desperation
B. her unhappiness has built into desperation
C. her unhappiness builds into desperation
D. her unhappiness building into desperation
— Do you think I really _____ the bad handwriting in your composition at yesterday’s meeting?
—Sure, Why _____ you always pick holes in everything I write?
A. wouldn’t have mentioned; can
B. mustn’t mention; should
C. shouldn’t have mentioned; must
D. couldn’t mention; would
