Many people have bought insurance, either life or property (财产), commercial or compulsory. Yet some people know little about it and some even misunderstand its nature and function.
Insurance is the sharing of risks. Nearly everyone is exposed to a risk of some sort. The house owner, for example, knows that his property can be damaged by fire; the shipowner knows that his ships may be lost at sea; the breadwinner knows that he may die at an early age and leave his family poorer. On the other hand, not every house is damaged by fire nor every ship is lost at sea. If these persons each put a small amount of money into a pool, there will be enough to meet the needs of the few who do suffer losses. In other words, the losses of the few are met from the contributions of the many. This is the basis of insurance. Those who pay the contribution are known as the insured and those who manage the pool of contributions as insurers.
The legal basis of all insurance is the policy. This is a printed form of contract on a piece of paper in best quality. It states that every year the insured shall pay an amount of which is called the premium; in return, the insurer will pay an amount of money or compensation for losses if the risk or event insured against actually happens.
The premium for insurance naturally depends upon how likely the risk is to happen, as suggested by past experience. If companies fix their premiums too high, there will be more competition in their area of insurance and they may lose business. On the other hand, if they make the premium too low, they will lose money and may even have to drop out of business. So the ordinary forces of supply and demand keep premiums at a level satisfactory to both the insurer and the insured.
1.The underlined phrase in Para. 2 most probably means __________.
A. money paid by the insurers
B. each premium
C. money paid by all those insured
D. the cost of administering insurance
2.Insurance premiums do not become too high because __________.
A. not many people insure themselves
B. premiums depend on the risk of losses
C. insurers have to be more competitive
D. insurance companies can never lose money
3.According to the passage, insurance business gains profit because __________.
A. more and more people buy insurance
B. the firms have sound management
C. the premium is increased year by year
D. only a few of those insured suffer losses
4.The purpose of the passage is to __________.
A. explain an insurance policy
B. introduce insurance business
C. persuade people to be insured
D. warn people of possible losses
Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He had rented a cottage in the country, although he rarely spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival: the cottage had no comfortable furniture in it, many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked, making the whole house damp.
On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories which our uncle had to tell of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed; but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle’s exciting tales.
He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had once had when there was a loud crash from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
“It sounds as if the roof has fallen in!” cried out my uncle, with a loud laugh.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, we could see nothing at first because of the thick clouds of dust which filled the room. When the dust began to clear, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had fallen down, falling right on to the pillow of my bed. I was glad that I had stayed up late to listen to my uncle’s stories, otherwise I should certainly have been seriously injured, perhaps killed.
That night we all slept on the floor in the sitting room downstairs, not wishing to risk our lives by sleeping under a roof which might at any moment fall down on our heads. We left for London the very next morning and my uncle gave up his cottage in the country. This was not the kind of adventure he cared for either!
1.Why did the uncle seldom spend much time in the country cottage?
A. Because the roof of the cottage was falling.
B. Because the cottage was in bad condition.
C. Because he was used to living abroad.
D. Because there was no furniture in it.
2.When they opened the bedroom door, they could see nothing at first because __________.
A. it was completely dark inside
B. there was too much dust in the air
C. something strange blinded them
D. it was too bright inside
3.The writer felt glad that he had stayed up late because __________.
A. he did not miss the exciting stories
B. he spent more time with his uncle
C. he had a lucky escape
D. he saw a strange sight
4.Which of the following can best describe the writer’s uncle?
A. Adventurous and good at storytelling.
B. Humorous and good at making jokes.
C. Dependable and generous with money
D. Considerate and sensitive to danger.
假定你是李华，你要完成一项关于中英学生寒假生活的调查。请给你的英国笔友Bill写一封信，交流相关信息。要点如下：
1．写信的原因；
2．介绍中国学生的寒假生活；
(1)时长：约20天
(2)活动
3．询问英国学生的寒假生活。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 信的开头和结尾已给出, 不计入总词数。
Dear Bill,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假段定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
As is known to us, fewer and fewer students do sports regularly, what makes them weak and easily tiring. There are many reasons for this. First of all, some of the students complain that they have too much homeworks, resulted in less time to take exercise. Besides, some of them think that it is very difficult for them to keep doing exercise, because it is a very hard thing. Because lack of physical activities, many students are in poorly health. I suggested that our school should take measures to encourage more students to take a part in sports. For us students, no matter how busy they are, it is necessary to spare any time to do exercise.
Only three local students won Chinese Blog（博客） Competition. And 15 of the 18 awards went to students from China. Zxxk
Themes ranged from local opinions------such as the usage of Singlish,1.(educate) and whether Singapore can be a cultural centre------2.food blogs. Zxxk
The entries were judged on language proficiency（ 熟练程度）and the quality of writing, as well as the design and level of exchanging ideas with readers. Zxxk
Academics from the National University of Singapore and the SIM University IT experts, and a journalist from Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore made up the3. (judge). Zxxk
In the end, only three Singaporean students made it to the award list—the rest of the awards 4.(sweep) up by students from China. Zxxk
“No surprise. ”said Mr. Chow Yaw Long, 37 , the teacher in charge from Ianova Junior Collage, which organized 5. event. “Although the topics were local subjects, the foreign students were6.(general) better in terms of the content of the posts and7.(they)grasp of the Chinese language.”
One of the three local students8.(win) the first prize in the Best Language Award was blogger Christina Gao 19, from the Saint Andrew’s Junior Collage, 9.spared no effort 10. (research) for and write her blog. Each entry took her between five and seven days to produce.
When I was a freshman in college I received a letter that forever opened a window in my soul. I had just started writing and the ____of my local county newspaper had been kind enough to ____ some of my work. About a month later the ____ arrived.
Here is what it said. “You may not ____ me. We last saw each other in kindergarten and my ____ moved the next year. We ____ get the county paper in the mail, though, and when I saw your name I had to write you. You see that first year in school was very ____for me. I was a tiny, ____, and ordinary-looking girl that the other children ____ me every day. The thing I remember about you is that you ____ did. When we ____to go out, the teacher always put me beside you and you would hold my hand as we ____ the street. You talked to me and played with me. You ____ me as a person, not someone different and I will be forever ____ for that. My whole life was ____ because of how you treated me all those years ago.”
I carefully wrote back to my kindergarten friend and we____ for several years____ the illness that she had ____ with since childhood finally took her life. I will never forget, however, just how much that simple kindness I had shared ____ to her.
Every act of kindness we do ____ another’s heart. Every bit of goodness we share makes the world a better place. Let’s use that power and make both Earth and Heaven smile.
1.A. teacher B. director C. editor D. leader
2.A. print B. publish C. report D. check
3.A. newspaper B. message C. work D. letter
4.A. remember B. recognize C. hear D. forget
5.A. parents B. family C. school D. classmates
6.A. still B. also C. just D. even
7.A. busy B. happy C. difficult D. easy
8.A. honest B. naughty C. sunny D. sick
9.A. kidded B. helped C. hated D. beat
10.A. occasionally B. never C. seldom D. always
11.A. got up B. lined up C. ended up D. cheered up
12.A. adventured B. visited C. cleaned D. crossed[
13.A. judged B. heard C. knew D. saw
14.A. grateful B. hopeful C. regretful D. skillful
15.A. harder B. better C. easier D. healthier
16.A. cooperated B. corresponded C. lived D. worked
17.A. after B. when C. before D. while
18.A. experienced B. studied C. treated D. struggled
19.A. meant B. done C. appeared D. got
20.A. discovers B. obtains C. enriches D. touches
