[21]

Closing the Gap

Until late in the 20th century, most Americans spent time with people of different generations. Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves.

That's because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sports activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior-citizen homes. Why?

We live away from the old for many reasons. Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of aging and dying. It is much harder to watch someone we love dis-appear before our eyes. Sometimes it's so hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most.

Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.

A reporter moved her family onto a block filled with old people. At first her chil-dren were disappointed. But the reporter baked banana bread for the neighbours and had her children deliver it and visit. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. "My children have never been less lonely," the re-porter said.

The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home (养老院) when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded. People who hadn't gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep woke 'up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.

Grandparents are a special case. They give their grandchildren a feeling of security (安全) and continuity. As my husband put it, "My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end." Grandchil-dren speak of attention they don't get from worried parents. "My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down," one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have rela-tionships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting.

(Words: 346 Minutes: 6)

1. Now in ah American family, people can find that ___.

A. children never live with their parents

B. not all working people live with their parents

C. aged people are supported by their grand-children

D. grandchildren are supported by their grand-parents

2. The reason that old people are left alone may be that ? '

A. the old don't like to live in a big family

B. the young can't get enough money to sup-port the old

C. different generations have different lifestyles

D. the old are too weak to live with the young

3. The fact the reporter told us shows that __.

A. old people in America lead a hard life.

B. old people in America enjoy banana bread

C. she had no rime to take care of her children

D. old people are easy to get along with

4. Seeing a baby, the old people got excited because __.

A. they had never seen a baby before B. the baby was clever and beautiful C. the baby brought them the image of life D. the baby's mother would take care of them

5. Why are some children quieter, calmer and more trusting?

A. Because they have relationships with their grandparents.

B. Because their worried parents ask them to act like that.

C. Because they have nothing to worry about.

D. Because their teachers ask them to act like that.

Key: 1. B 2. C 3-D 4. C 5.A

[22]
Nobody Benefits

NEW YORK—America has been experi-encing the longest economic increase in its history. Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings.

But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel.

Brown is homeless — one of the 2.3 mil-lion people in the US who end up on the street.

During the day. Brown collects alumini-um cans and sells them for five cents a piece. At night, he sleeps on the street.

"I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker.

Brown admits he's had problems with al-cohol and has smoked cocaine. But he said he still wants a more stable (稳定的) housing ar-rangement. He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available.

However, he sees no hope of finding af-fordable housing in New York.

With the strong economy and unemploy-ment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand.

A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 per cent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month.

One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up.

The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help.

But few housing companies have been built for the poor. Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more.

Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her. She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house.

Smiling, he said he also has seven grand-children whom he'd like to see more often.

"All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said.

1. What kind of life does George Brown lead?

A. Homeless and dangerous. B. Homeless and childish.

C. Homeless and miserable. D. Homeless and sleepless.

2. From George Brown's life we can find that

A. old Americans lead a hard life

B. old Americans want to live alone

C. American cities are full of poor people

D. bad habits play a role in poor people's Life

3. It can be inferred from this passage that

A. America is short of housing companies

B. the poor can't benefit from the increas-ing economy

C. poor people in America will become rich

D. housing companies will build more houses for the poor

4. If this passage comes from a paper, on which page would it be?

A. Society. B. Science. C. Economy. D. Business.

5. What character does George Brown have?

A. Selfish. B. Lazy. C. Warm-hearted. D. Open-hearted.

Key: 1. C 2. D 3. B 4. A 5. D 
 
[23]
More Taiwanese Students Study Here

TAIBEI—Increasing numbers of Taiwanese students are joining the island's "China rush", seeking education on the Chinese mainland.

According to official Chinese figures, the number of Taiwanese students admitted into college and postgraduate programmes on the mainland totalled 461 in 1996, 928 in 1997 and 839 in 1998. Although no latest official numbers were available, Netbig.com said this number had risen between 30 to 50 per cent annually in the past two years with well over 1,000 entering mainland campuses last year.

The Internet site, based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, provides education service and information on Chinese mainland colleges and universities. "Many Taiwanese believe a Chinese education giving more knowledge about the people and culture in the mainland will increase their chances in the Chinese job market," Netbig.com vice-president Ingrid Huang said. "I believe it will give me hands-on ex-perience in the business field in the Chinese mainland and a better understanding of the Chinese mainland people," said Lydia Chang, a 19-year-old majoring in journalism at Shih Shin University. Chang plans to go on to get a master's degree in business administration in Shanghai, which she says offers the best envi-ronment for such studies.

A journalism graduate student, sumamed Lin, at the National Taiwan University said he would like to study law on the Chinese main-land since "there will be better career prospects for me now that more Taiwanese companies are going there".

Some business executives were sending their children to study in the Chinese main- land. "They hope the children could build up connections which could later become useful in their business operations," said Yang Ching-yao, professor of the Chinese mainland studies.

A Netbig.com survey showed the campus-es favoured by Taiwanese students included Beijing, Qinghua and Renmin universities in Bei-jing, and Jinan and Zhongshan universities in Guangzhou. The most popular studies were law, business and Chinese medicine.

At present, Chinese Taibei doesn't recog-nize diplomas earned in the Chinese mainland nor help with any inquiries about studying there. But recognizing the trend, education au-thorities are giving a final form to a policy accepting certificates (iiE45) from selected uni-versities.

(Words: 352 Minutes: 6)

1. More Taiwanese students study on the Chi-nese mainland because ___.

A. Taiwan will reunite with the mainland sooner or later

B. the fees asked for are lower than those of Taiwan

C. what they have learned on the mainland will bring them a bright future

D. there are many famous universities for them to choose

2. Some business executives were sending their children to study in the Chinese mainland so that their children ___.

A. could receive better education

B. could learn more about the policy there

C. could do well in their business operations

D. could make more friends there

3. The underlined word "it" refers to ___.

A. Netbig.com B. a Chinese education on the mainland

C. the Chinese job market D. the university

4. The main idea of paragraph 4 is ___.

A. law in the Chinese mainland is pleasant to learn

B. Taiwanese companies are coming to the Chinese mainland because the law there is perfect

C. more Taiwanese companies coming to the mainland makes it better to learn laws

D. the mainland is short of lawyers for the Taiwanese companies

5. The author wrote the article to tell us __.

A. the number of Taiwanese students going to universities on the mainland had been increasing year after year

B. more Taiwanese students are studying on the mainland

C. education on the mainland is more at-tractive compared with that of Taiwan

D. Taiwan and the mainland should co-operate with each other in every field.

Key: l.C 2. C 3. B 4. C 5. B 
 
[24]
Parents have to do much less for their children today than they used to do, and home has become much less of a workshop. Clothes can be bought ready made, washing can go to the laundry, food can be bought cooked, canned or preserved, bread is baked and delivered by the baker, milk arrives on the doorstep, meals can be had at the restaurant, the workers' canteen (食堂), and the school dining-room.

It is unusual now for father to pursue (从事) his trade or other employment at home, and his children rarely, if ever, see him at his place of work. Boys are therefore seldom trained to follow their father's occupation, and in many towns they have a fairly wide choice of employment and so do girls. The young wage-earner often earns good money, and soon acquires a feeling of economic indepen-dence. In textile (纺织的) areas it has long been customary for mothers to go out to work, but this practice has become so widespread that the working mother is now a not unusual factor in a child's home life, the number of married women in employment having more than doubled in the last twenty-five years. With. mother earning and his older children drawing substantial wages, father is seldom the dominant (支配的) figure that he still was at the beginning of the century. When mother works, eco-nomic advantages increase, but children lose something of great value if mother's employment prevents her from being home to greet them when they return from school.

1. The writer compares home to a workshop because _____.

A. fathers often pursue employment at home

B. parents have to make food and necessity themselves for their daily-life

C. many families produce goods at home for sale

D. both fathers and mothers in most families are workers

2. The writer says that home has become much less of a workshop. He means _____.

A. in the past, home was more like a workshop

B. home is much more of a workshop now

C. home workshops are becoming fewer and fewer

D. home was less like a workshop in the past

3. The chief reason that boys are seldom trained to follow their father's occupation is _____.

A. that children nowadays rarely see their fathers at their place of work

B. that fathers do not like to pursue employment at home any more

C. that there is a wide choice of employment for children

D. that children also like to have jobs outside

4. What makes father no longer be the only dominant person in a family?

A. With their earning, mother and children do not need to depend on father for their life.

B. There are many choices of employment for mothers and children.

C. Father does much less for his children today than he used to-

D. The number of married women in employment has increased greatly now.

KEY: 1-4 CACA

[25]
1. Summer came early to Middlesbrough yesterday, as temperatures shot up to 22°C (71°F), a record for March. But local NFU agent Jim Wilkes says it could be bad news for farmers. " The crops will think it's summer," he told our reporter," and start sprouting four weeks before time.

2. The death toll of the Burnside train crash rose to four yesterday when John Phillips, 32, of Petersville died in Wallsend Hospital. Another six people are still on the danger list. Mr Phillips, an electrical engineer leaves a wife and two children.

3. China and the United States reached an agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights yesterday, after strenuous marathon talks.

The agreement is good news for all parties concerned. The Chinese Foreign Trade Minister described the agreement as a "turning point" in Sino-US trade relations that "promises further progress" in the future.

The agreement will not only favourably impact trade relations between China and the United States, it may favourably influence the overall relations between the two countries.

1. What do you get to know from article I?

A. It is as cold as usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased.

B. It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased.

C. It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried.

D. It is colder than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried.

2. How many people have died in the train crash in article 2 ?

A. Only John Phillips has died.

B. Ten people have died in the crash, including John Phillips.

C. Four people have died in the crash, including John Phillips.

D. John Phillips, his wife and children all died in the crash.

3. Who are on the danger list?

A. Petersville and Wallsend.

B. an electrical engineer and John Phillips.

C. John Phillips' wife and two children.

D. another six people who were on the train.

4. What agreement did China and the United States reach in article 3?

A. It is an agreement on a marathon race.

B. It is an agreement on trade relations.

C. It is an agreement on overall relations.

D. It is an agreement on intellectual property rights protection.

5. What are relations going to be like between China and the United States?

A. Relations between China and the United States are going to be sometimes worse and sometimes better.

B. Relations between China and the United States are going to be better.

C. Relations between China and the United States are going to be worse.

D. Relations between China and the United States are going to remain the same.

KEY: 1-5 CCDDB

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