Last year, I was speaking at a gathering of wealthy male investors. The organizers posted the   1   of a survey showing that only a small percentage of wealthy men believed their wives spent too much.

'What?'   2   one participant. 'Those guys have to be lying.'

There is no reliable   3   of who spends more among the rich: men or women. Both will say the other is the   4   spender.

A recent survey by Wilmington Trust, Campden Research and Relative Solutions proves the   5   . The companies polled 40 women (I know, that is more like a show of hands than 'survey'), each with a net worth of $25 million or more.

About half the respondents（受调查者） inherited（.继承） their   6   , a quarter   7   it from their husbands and the other quarter earned it   8   . That is roughly in line with other surveys of   9   women and the source of their money. One interesting note: among the self-made women, 90% got their money from owning a business, rather than   10   a salary.

As for   11   , almost all the women (90%) described their spending habits as 'below their means.' The report on the survey said that is 'possibly   12   they do not view their extreme wealth as defining their success.

'Women tend not to spend as much as   13   and splash（泼洒得使到处是） their names all over the place,' said one woman in the survey, describing her spending as conservative and he lifestyle as 'below the radar.'

Many women also worried about wealth having   14    effects on their children and didn't want to spend lavishly（挥霍） to   15   a bad example.

At the same time, 70% of the women said they 'buy nice things when   16   .' And 93.5% of the women said they were responsible for making   17   on major purchases, which   18   that they do a lot of the big spending.

Of course, for truly major purchases a house in Aspen, Colo., a Gulfstream, a Feadship the couple probably makes the decision   19   .

But what about other   20   ? Do you think men or women do most of the high-end spending?

(   ) 1. A. results                B. reasons             C. times                D. directions

(   ) 2. A. cried                  B. sighed              C. shouted            D. laughed

(   ) 3. A. data                   B. measure            C. division            D. news

(   ) 4. A. biggest               B. bigger              C. smaller             D. worse

(   ) 5. A. matter                B. message            C. point                D. report

(   ) 6. A. spirit                 B. money              C. habit                D. cost

(   ) 7. A. bought                      B. robbed             C. got                   D. earned

(   ) 8. A. itself                  B. herself              C. ourselves          D. themselves

(   ) 9. A. wealthy              B. poor                 C. ordinary            D. honest

(   ) 10. A. making            B. earning             C. taking              D. spending

(   ) 11. A. buying             B. wasting            C. spending           D. saving

(   ) 12. A. when                      B. if                     C. whether            D. because

(   ) 13. A. women             B. youth                      C. adults               D. men

(   ) 14. A. serious             B. good                C. bad                  D. various

(   ) 15. A. send                 B. set                   C. do                    D. give

(   ) 16. A. necessary          B. possible            C. pleased             D. anxious

(   ) 17. A. plans                B. decisions          C. appointments    D. suggestions

(   ) 18. A. notices             B. stresses             C. implies             D. intends

(   ) 19. A. away                B. together            C. as well             D. out

(   ) 20. A. purchases         B. effects              C. differences        D. examples

Social networking isn't only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.
"The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life for Americans 50 plus," said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which released the report.
Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. "They are using the Internet to keep up with the world and the people who are important to them," said Jean Koppen, the author of the report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family, but with their friends and peers. Almost 50 percent of older adults were introduced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. "Just under one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet," according to the report.
The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook and Twitter older adults are also aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the passage?             
A.       Social networking isn’t for the under 40s in the U.S.A.
B.       American old people’s way of life is quite fashionable.
C.       The Internet is also popular among the American over 50s.
D.       Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are hot websites in America.
【小题2】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?    

A．Nearly 2000 adults took part in the survey on line.

B．The over 50s were introduced to the Internet by the young.

C．About 20% of adults aged 50 and older don’t like the Internet.

D．Many Americans 50 plus stay connected using the Internet.

【小题3】What’s the underlined sentence used for?    
E.                   It’s used as a reason for the popularity of the Apple iPad in America.
F.                   It’s used as an example of the older adults’ awareness of the latest technology.
G.                  It’s used as a suggestion to the readers who are interested in the IT products.
H.                  It’s used as a choice for the Americans intending to use Social networking.
【小题4】Where can we most probably read this passage?    
I.                     In an experiment introduction.
J.                    In a computer magazine.
K.                  In a product advertisement.
In a news report

One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes. They ran away from the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in. But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world.
“The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing,” says Gomer Jones, president of the National Institute for Urban Wildlife, in Columbia, Maryland. A survey of the wildlife in New York’s Central Park last year tallied the species of mammals, including muskrats, shrews and flying squirrels. A similar survey conducted in the 1890s counted only five species. One of the country’s largest populations of raccoons (浣熊) now lives in Washington D.C., and moose (驼鹿) are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns. Peregrine falcons(游隼) dive from the window ledges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to prey on (捕食) pigeons.
Several changes have brought wild animals to the cities. Foremost(首要的) is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution-control efforts. Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbs. In addition, urban wildlife refuges (避难处)have been created. The Greater London Council last year spent￡750,000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city. Over 1,000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from deserted lots. One evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben.
For peregrine falcons, cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings (悬崖栖息地). By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life. That year, scientist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food.
Cities can attract wild animals without turning them harmful. The trick is to create habitats where they can be self-sufficient but still be seen and appreciated. Such habitats can even be functional. In San Francisco, the local government is testing different kinds of rainwater control basins to see not only which ones retain (保持) the cleanest water but which will attract the most birds.
【小题1】The first paragraph suggests that ________.

A．environment is vital for wildlife

B．tour books are not always a reliable source of information

C．London is a city of fox

D．foxes are highly adaptable to environment

【小题2】Which of the following is NOT a reason that wildlife is returning to the cities?

A．Food is plentiful in the cities.

B．Wildlife is appreciated in the cities.

C．Wildlife refuges have been built in the cities

D．Air and water quality has improved in the cities

【小题3】It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A．Londoners are putting more and more wild animals into their zoos.

B．Londoners are happy to see wild animals return to their city

C．Londoners are trying to move wild animals back to the countryside

D．Londoners have welcomed the wild birds, but found foxes a problem

People who eat at home most of the time have better nutrition than those who go out to eat , a recent study shows. Cornell University professors Lana Hall and Karen Bunch interviewed 3900 people in the survey. “People who eat less than 30 percent of their food away from home eat the most nutritiously,” they said.

“In general, Americans don’t have nutrient, except for iron and calcium,” they reported. They have the opposite problem——over—consumption(过度消耗), especially of fat.

The food at many fast food restaurants is often low in vitamins. “People who eat more than 30 percent of total calories away from home eat foods that are generally low in nutrients per calorie,” the professors said. More calories and enough nutrient intake（吸收） are required to achieve.

One of the major health risks is eating too much fat. The professor found than fat consumption became greater as income went up. It also went up in houses where the female worked. This is probably because these people eat more highly processed （加工的）foods.

57.According to the passage, which of the following suggestions would you most readily take?

A.Eat out as many times as possible

B.Eat at home as many times as possible

C.Eat foods with a lot if iron, calcium and fat

D.Eat more highly processed foods

58.What is the result if people often dine out according to the passage?

A. They tend to have better nutrition         B. They tend to have less nutrition

C.They can save a lot of time               D. They will spend much money on it

59. Nowadays, a major health risk that people face is_______.

A.Eating too much fast food         B. Frequent dining out

C.Eating at home very often         D. Eating too much fat

60．The passage is about__________.

A. Eating and Health      B. The Life Style in Modern Society

C. Fast food in the USA    D. Dining out Lowers Nutrient Intake

 

A growing number of consumers, especially young people , are adopting more Western habits when it comes to spending money—by favoring credit cards over savings.

A survey of 11,500 people in 18 cities by The Nielson Company found the credit card market had witnessed a major change in recent years.

    “Today’s consumer is clearly not interested in saving for a rainy day, as may have been the case in the past,” Bega Ng, director of financial services research with the company said. “Consumers have been adopting Western habits and attitudes in almost every way—including saving and spending habits. Consumers in their 20s spend tomorrow’s cash to fund today’s needs.”

      The report found consumers aged 18 to 24 were the most eager credit card users.

      Although the report did not give the amounts credit card users in each of the 18 cities spent, it mentioned the example of Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian Province, where consumers put an average of 50 percent of their monthly incomes into their credit card accounts to indulge(沉湎于) in cashless shopping.

    Included in the survey for the first time, Xiamen is reported to have a fast growing penetration rate(渗透率) for credit cards, with four out of ten consumers now owning at least one card. With more than half of cardholders in Xiamen owning two or more cards, it is catching up with key “tier one” cities, the report said. The report did not make known the figures in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

      Last year, the same Nielson survey showed Shanghai had the biggest population of credit card holders, with citizens owning 1.8 credit cards on average. Half of them use credit cards at least once a week, the survey said.

Yunfei, 30, from Beijing, said she spent at least 2,000 yuan a month by credit cards, most of which went on daily necessities and dining out.

1.Which of the following best shows the young urbanites’ idea of consumption?

A. Using credit cards in every way.

B. Spending tomorrow’s cash for today’s needs.

C. Owning more cards for cashless shopping.

D. Saving money for future use.

2.How is the situation of credit card use in Xjamen?

A. Forty percent of the consumers own at least one card.

B. Credit card users use up most of their monthly income.

C. The number of credit card users is larger than that in Guangzhou.

D. Over half of the consumers use two or more cards.

3.Which city had the largest number of credit card users according to a previous survey?

A. Xiamen.         B. Beijing.          C. Shanghai.          D. Guangzhou.

4.What is the main idea of the survey reported by Nielson Company?

A. Most credit card users are young people aged 18 to 24.

B. Western habits have a big influence on the Chinese people.

C. The number of credit card users is growing rapidly in Chinese cities.

D. Chinese consumers are no more interested in saving money.