Don't ask whether the proposed 3 billion merger（兼并）of United Airlines and Continental will benefit you. It won't. Because this isn't about you. It's about them. Specifically, it's about the need for the airlines to raise fares and increase revenues after years of unreasonable discounting that led to billions in losses. "For the airlines, it's a good thing," says Matthew Jacob, an airline analyst（分析师）at Majestic Research. "By not having as much supply, they can fly fuller planes, charge higher prices and operate more efficiently. For the customers, well, I don't think you're going to see planes that are only two-thirds full or bargain—basement prices from airlines desperate to fill seats." In a joint press release, the new company promised "strong competitive pressure on fares," but in reality that pressure has been coming from budget carriers such as Southwest and JetBlue. Those of us in the back of the bus may have to worry about employees who have lost some seniority（老资格）in a joined workforce. Labor issues might be a problem, says Perkins, contributing editor of He remembers the United strike of 1985. "If and when they start making money," says Perkins, "those unions could turn around and say, 'We gave it up when you needed it. Where's our share?'" The potential for a strike worries him, since the new united company will hold 21% of the market and finding a replacement seat in the event of a strike could be next to impossible. As for fares, there's no place to go but up. After Delta merged with Northwest, fares on their combined routes rose at least 10%, according to George Hobica, founder of But that's no reason to panic. "The vast majority of leisure travel is optional," he says. "When airlines raise fares, people stop flying. So they'll have to be careful." Even if this merger prompts a US Airways link-up and even more integration, Hobica doesn't think we're going to see wild fare increases. But say goodbye to cheap escapes to Chicago—for dinner. "I've enjoyed the ride," says Hobica with a sigh. "But the party's over ." 1. What can be learned from the first paragraph?A) The merged airlines will increase their revenues soon after.B) After the merger, airlines will not use discounting to attract customers.C) After the merger, customers will find it hard to get a seat on a plane.D) Before the merger, airlines have suffered losses from discounting. 2. What does the phrase "basement prices" (Para. 1) mean?A) Basic prices.B) Very low prices. C) Prices of back seats.D) Prices of seats with poor view.3. What does Perkins worry about?A) The new airline company holds too much share of the market.B) The unemployed will start a strike against the new airline company. C) Unions want to share the profit if the new airline starts making money.D) The new airline company doesn't want to find new jobs for the unemployed.4. What does Hobica mean by "the party's over"(Para. 3)?A) The days when fares are cheap are gone. B) Leisure travel will be a thing of the past.C) He has no chance to enjoy the ride to Chicago.D) He has to say goodbye to parties held in Chicago.5. What conclusion can be drawn about the merger of the two airline companies?A) The merger will bring much pressure to other airline companies.B) The merger is a must for the two companies to survive in the market.C) The proposed merger may bring mixed blessings to the companies involved. D) The fare increase caused by the merger may bring about panic among customers.

With the widespread acceptance of digital devices, there has been a great deal of research on how digital platforms, such as tablets and laptops, might be affecting attention and distractibility. Surprisingly few studies exist about how digital tools affect human understanding. A new research tested about the basic question: would processing the same information on a digital versus non-digital platform affect the fundamental level of cognition? It was composed of several studies and the following part listed two of them.A group of participants were asked to read a short story by author David Sedaris on either a physical printout (non-digital) or in a PDF on a PC laptop (digital), and were then asked to take a paper-and-pencil comprehension test. For the abstract questions, on average, participants using the non-digital platform scored higher on inference questions with 66 percent correct, as compared to those using the digital platform, who had 48 percent correct. On the concrete questions, participants using the digital platform scored better with 73 percent correct, as compared to those using the non-digital platform, who had 58 percent correct.Another group of participants were asked to read a table of information about four Japanese car models on either a PC laptop screen or paper print-out, and were then asked to select which car model is superior. Sixty-six percent of the participants using the non-digital platform (printed materials) reported the correct answer, as compared to 43 percent of those using the digital platform.According to the result, using digital platforms for reading may make you more inclined to focus on concrete details rather than interpreting information more abstractly. The findings of the study serve as a wake-up call to how digital media may be affecting our likelihood of using abstract thought. It’s crucial to recognize the role that digitization of information might be having on this important aspect of cognition. Knowing digital technologies can help design better software. Sometimes, it is beneficial to foster abstract thinking, and as people know more, the tendencies, or deficits, of digital devices can be overcome.1. Which of the following statements about the new research is true?A) Studies about digital tools are surprisingly few.B) The new research provides a unique view of computer science.C) A lot of studies prove that tablets and laptops have negative influence.D) The new research studies how digital devices affect cognition. 2. For those participants who read a short story, ________.A) they did digital reading as well as non-digital readingB) they answered concrete questions better on digital platforms C) they were good at taking a paper-and-pencil comprehension testD) they proved that digital reading was superior to non-digital reading3. It can be inferred from the study that ________.A) table reading depends more on abstract thinking than concrete thinking B) it is more difficult to read table information than reading short storiesC) people can make better choice of purchasing cars through digital readingD) non-digital reading promotes people’s understanding of table information4. What can be learned from the new study?A) Digital platforms hinder correct understanding in reading.B) People tend to adopt concrete thinking more in digital reading. C) Digital devices should be designed to promote reading efficiency.D) Non-digital reading is better than digital reading.5. What is the main idea of this passage?A) Reading from digital platforms is quite efficient.B) Digital media may be changing people’s way of thinking. C) Digitalization of information influences human beings in many ways.D) Digital technologies can be helpful in developing abstract thinking.

Despite the previous rounds of talks，no agreement ________ so far by the two sides．（ ）A. has been reachedB. was reachedC. will reachD. will have reached

49)Why are governments becoming increasingly dependent on biologists and social scientists OA. Because they need to handle social stresses and problems.B. Because they want to learn from early industrialized countries.C. Because they have to make modern means of transport relatively easy.D. Because they need them for the industrialization of their own countries.

Not only Tom but also his parents _____ fond of watching football matches.A. isB. areC. wasD. were

根据以下通知内容完成以下要素的填空 Protect Our Mother River Would you like to join a volunteer group and engage in conserving the environment and enhancing biodiversity of the Yellow River? We have a volunteer project for you this summer vacation.Students interested in environmental protection are welcome . This is a great opportunity to learn about natural resources conservation ! Student Union 2 July From 1 . _ To 2._What to do ：engage in conserving the environment and enhancing biodiversity of the Yellow River

Vending machines (自动售货机) stocked with unhealthy snacks in leisure centres run the risk of fuelling children's being overweight, warn experts. Crisps and chocolate are on sale where children exercise despite being banned from schools and children's TV, the British Heart Foundation found (BHF). And children's meals on offer at the 35 places spot-checked were dominated by chips, sausages and burgers. The charity wants stricter regulation over the food choices available. The report, which was prepared by the Food Commission, looked at leisure centres, bowling buildings, ice skating areas and park cafes. The average calorie (卡路里) content of vending machine snacks was 203 calories, which would take a seven-year-old 88 minutes of swimming to use up. Fresh fruit was displayed at less than half of the places visited, and nutritional (营养的) information was displayed at just two of the places visited. The BHF said this severely limits the children's and parents' ability to assess the nutritional values of the products they are buying. The charity is now calling for public and private sector providers to lead the way in ensuring healthy food options are available and easily identifiable. It says it should be made a requirement that vending machines in publicly owned facilities are stocked with healthier products. A Department of Health spokeswoman said, "We are fully committed to encouraging the adoption of healthy vending machines across the country and expect local authorities to make sure there are healthy food options available in their leisure centres." Dessert, crisps and sugary drinks with bubbles of gas have been banned from all school vending machines in England since September 2007. Judy Hargadon, chief executive of the School Food Trust, said, "Convenience doesn't have to mean unhealthy." Many schools are using vending to offer pupils extra choice and independence whilst still keeping their options well-balanced and consistent.1. What is this passage mainly about?A) Improving facilities in leisure centres.B) Assessing the value of the annual program.C) Reducing the risk of being overweight. D) Banning all school vending machines.2. What caused the ignorance of well-balanced food mentioned by BHF?A) Lack of publications.B) Lack of exercise.C) Limited display of healthy food. D) The business of dessert making and selling.3. What did the charity call for?A) It called for more varieties of food.B) It called for healthier foods to be introduced. C) It called for prohibition of food high in sweet.D) It called for expanding of vending machines across the state.4. Which snack is allowed to sell in schools of England?A) Sprite.B) Coke Cola.C) Cereals Bar. D) Candy.5. What did Judy Hargadon think of vending machines?A) They are convenient but unhealthy.B) Vending machines should be used in schools to offer more choices.C) Vending machines might be convenient and healthy under control. D) To some point, it can help students to become independent.

Directions : In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a I list of choices given in a word bank before the passage. Read the passage through carefully before a kind you choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please write down the corresponding letter for each item in the blanks. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.A)musician E)embarrassment I) mysterious M)stage B)simple-hearted F)fame J)response N)physicist C)taking G)inexperienced K) impressed O)action D)examined H) purpose L) makingOnce Albert Einstein together with a fanous cellist Gregor Piatigorsky took part in a concert for a charitable purpose. Among lots of viewers there was a young and _ 26 _ journalist who came to the concert because he was to write an article about it. Having looked around and _27_ the audience, he adressed a woman who was sitting next to him. He asked a _ 28 _ question:" Excuse me, could you tell me who this Einstein is? Of course we all know Piatigorsky, but I don't know another one who is going to be on _ 29 _ tonight!" "Dear god, don't you really know? That is Albert Einstein, one of the greatest people the world has ever seen!" The woman answered indignantly. "Oh! I'm sorry, I should have known. Thank you."murmured the fellow in _30_ and kept on writing the material. He made up his mind to stop _31_ efforts to find out who the hell this _ 32 _ Albert Einstein is. As a result, after that concert in the local newspaper there appeared a small report, which included information about Einstein's performance. Evidently, the journalist was quite _ 33 _ with his performance. To everybody's surprise, according to the article, it turned out that Einstein was the greatest _ 34 _, a most gifted violinist and that his blillant performance nearly eclipsed（使失色) the _ 35 _ of Gregor Piatigorsky.

The Canadian Meat Council says every job that remains unfilled in Canada’s meat processing sector costs another four jobs within the Canadian economy. New trade agreements are creating new export opportunities for Canada’s meat processors but a shortage of workers is limiting the ability to take advantage of those opportunities. Ron Davidson, the director of international trade, government and media relations with the Canadian Meat Council, says labor is one of the industry’s primary challenges.People just don’t realize how much is at stake. The meat processing industry is the single largest component of the food processing sector in Canada.Not only does it provide a market outlet for the livestock producers but it provides a market outlet for grain growers who sell feed grains to the livestock industry. We have 65,000 workers, according to Statistics Canada, in the meat packing and processing industry and, for every job that’s on a production line in a meat plant, a study done by the University of Saskatchewan suggests there are at least another four jobs in the economy.These other jobs could be on the farm; they could be in the service sector; they could be in transportation; they could be in marketing. So even when we have 1,000 jobs available in the meat industry that are unfilled on the line in the plant it means there’re at least 4,000 jobs elsewhere in the economy that aren’t going filled. So it has an impact on our jobs; it has an impact on the livestock producers; it has an impact on the grain farmers; it has a major impact on our rural communities; it has a significant impact on our exports and it certainly has an impact on the ability of Canadians to choose Canadian produced food.Davidson says processors are recruiting as actively as possible among all of the Canadian groups, including unemployed people, new immigrants and refugees and continue to work with government to try to gain access to foreign butchers and meat cutters when it’s been clearly demonstrated that there aren’t enough available in Canada.1. What hinders Canada’s meat processors from making full use of new export opportunities?A) Motivation.B) Technology.C) Money.D) Labor. 2. What does “at stake” mean in Paragraph 2?A) Out of control.B) In despair.C) In danger. D) In difficulty.3. Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?A) One of the meat processing industry’s major challenges is labor force.B) Vacant jobs in the meat processing industry have no impact on the grain growers. C) The only biggest component of the food processing sector in Canada is the meat processing industry.D) One vacant job in the meat industry means there are at least another four jobs elsewhere in the economy that are unfilled.4. Who would be the potential labor force to enhance the meat processing industry?A) Grain farmers, unemployed people and new immigrants.B) Unemployed people, livestock producers and new refugees.C) New immigrants and refugees and livestock producers.D) Unemployed people and new immigrants and refugees. 5. What is the main idea of this passage?A) New Trade agreements create new export opportunities for Canada’s meat processors.B) Vacant meat processing jobs impact the entire Canadian economy. C) Grain farmers are associated with the livestock industry.D) Efforts are made to address the problem of shortage of workers.

Film has certainly played a role in providing audiences with a set of strong associations in relation to Kennedy, who as a president did much more than die under tragic circumstances Joseph Uscinski says; I1 you were to ask most people what they know about JFK, it's the assassination and the conspiracy behind it And why is that? It's because of Oliver Stone's fim called JFK" Cinema, of course, has played a minimal role in shaping the legacies of those presidents judged as dull or low key. To some, Presidents Eisenhower, Ford and Carter fall into this category. They're not heroic, inspirational figures', says Professor Morgan. Eisenhower was a much better president than many contemporaries thought he was. He would figure in the top ten presidents of all time, I think, ftor most people. But his style of leadership was very hidden-hand, very understated. That doesn't work for Holywood." But with President Carter it's his years since he left the White House that may be more engaging to Hollywood producers. "Carter's strange legacy is that he becomes a fascinating fgure afer he's the president, one could argue the key legacy comes not from the four years, but the 35 years afterwards. I think that there's every possibility that they will get some very senious Hollywood attention," says Professor Miller. Its not just feature fims but documentares can shape the way a president is perceived but often only to confrm opinions not determine them. When Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 arived on screens it provided a harsh indictmentor George w. Bush's war on trror. It was inftuential but it may have only had a limited etfect on how the public has come to view President Bush. Bush was a polarising figure and the flm didnt bring in people trom all sides. Polarised opinion has also defined Obama's years in the White House and that may limit the abiltly of cinema to determine his legacy 1 don't know how much room there is fora flim to shape his image in the next 10 years because it's witten in stone Aftican-Americans love him, Democrats like him a lot, and many of them wish he was more to the left. Republicans have a biter hatred for him," says Joseph Uscinski.1. What can we infer about Oliver Stone's fim JFK?A. It was mainly about Kennedy's contributions as a presidentB. It was produced before President Kennedy diedC. Itmisled the public's opinion about KennedyD. I provides an objectve picture of Kennedy's ifte2. What does Professor Morgan say about President Eisenhower?A. He was as reserved as President Ford.B. His leadership was successful.C. He was underestmatedD. His life was made into a Hollywood movie.3. What is President Carters legacy according to Professor Miller?A. He was one of the top ten presidents in the history of the United States.B. His post presidency ife would be more appealing to film producers.C. He always keeps a low profle and does not like getting public attentionD. His success as a president is inspirational for commonUs citizens.4. What can we learn about Fanrenheit 9/11 in Paragraph 4?A. Itpresents the polarized opinions about President BushB. Its more infuential than any other ftlm about 9/11C. It shaped the public's perception of PresidentBushD. It accused George w. Bush of his war on error