阅读填空专项训练
来源:用户上传
作者: 刘 松
阅读短文,根据所读内容在文后1―10的空格里填上适当的单词或短语。每空不超过3个单词。
(一)
Why must we pay taxes? The answer is that the government needs money for many things, for example, to pay its soldiers, sailors and airmen, to build roads, bridges, offices, schools, etc, and to buy goods from abroad; and only the people of the country can supply the money.
One of the most important taxes is income-tax which a person pays according to the amount of his income, whether he is a merchant, a doctor, a lawyer, a shopkeeper, a miner or anything else. This is called a “direct” tax, because it is paid in money directly to the government.
Another tax is paid on goods such as watches, jewelry, new clothes, tobacco, wine, etc, when they are brought into a country. Such a tax is paid as part of the price of these goods if they are late sold in shops. We call it “indirect” tax, because it is paid indirectly through the shopkeepers.
People usually complain about having to pay taxes, but they forget that the money is spent on things that they and their families need. We need policemen to catch thieves, to see that men obey the laws, to direct traffic, etc, and they must be paid what they earn; children need education and there must be schools and teachers; we want our streets to be kept clean, and the wages of men who do this kind of work have to be paid. Above all, the country must always be ready to defend itself against attacking enemies, and we can’t have an army without paying for it. Besides, if a country wants to develop, there are many other things to do...
Taxes, therefore, cannot be avoided. We buy our food and clothes and pay for our amusements; but, there are several things that the State finds the money for, and that is necessary for us if our society is to continue. We have no real reason to complain, therefore, when we are asked to supply money to be spent for the good of ourselves and for our fellow-citizens.
(二)
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 was awarded to economist Muhammad Yunus and his Bangladeshi microfinance organization, the Grameen Bank. The bank lends small amounts of money to poor people, especially women, who are unable to get traditional loans(贷款).
The Grameen Bank, however, does not need any guarantee(担保) when a borrower asks for a loan. A person’s promise to repay the loan is all that is needed. No one is refused for a loan. This trust has resulted in a near perfect loan repayment rate during the bank’s thirty-year history.
The idea of micro-financing for the poor has spread to other countries. In the United States, for example, small loan programs are serving poor Native Americans living on protected land. Farming communities and poor city areas have also seen a rise in micro-financing organizations. The Seattle Non-profit Group (SNG) is one example. This group provides small loans to single mothers, refugees and former criminals.
Today, the Grameen Bank has about six million borrowers in seventy thousand villages throughout Bangladesh. Ninety-seven percent of the loans go to poor women. An average loan equals less than one hundred dollars. The bank expects to provide more than eight hundred million dollars in loans this year.
Worldwide, the Grameen Foundation has established relationships with fifty-two partners in twenty-two countries. Millions of people have received assistance.
Mr Yunus says he believes credit(信誉) should be considered a human right. He says money is power. The economist believes poverty would end if the world could create a system of credit for poor people.
(三)
A survey(调查) has been made recently to make out what are the public opinions on the one-child policy. Here are some results of it.
Many teenagers suggest they should have a brother or sister. Perhaps they feel this might make up for a gap in their own lives.
Bao Yunlu, a Senior 2 boy from the No 8 Middle School in Hefei, Anhui Province, often dreams of having an elder sister. “I want her to help me with my homework, share my feelings and take care of me,” he said.
But last week Li Honggui, head of the China Family Planning Association (CFPA), sparked(引发) a hot discussion when he told newspapers there would be no change to the current one-child policy. It will remain the provincial governments’ right to decide on individual cases (个案).
The one-child policy began in 1978. Now China has nearly 100 million sin-gle child families, one-third of the total. The policy has successfully slowed down Chinese population growth by 10 million babies a year. But there are problems.
As the centre of the family’s attention they do not know about the hardships of life. “The one-child generation has no idea of thrift (节俭),” said Xing Yuan, professor of sociology at Shanxi University. Some of them also don’t know how to get on well with others.
Bao agreed that being an only child has had an effect on his personality. “We are less tolerant (宽容) and considerate (体贴) than our schoolmates who have brothers or sisters,” he said.
But others don’t agree. “I don’t feel the difference between me and my classmates who have a brother or sister. They often complain to me about quarrelling with their brothers or sisters. I feel lucky to have nobody to steal my belongings,” said Bai Yijing, a Senior 1 girl from the Middle School Attached to Beijing Petroleum Institute.
What’s your opinion? Let us know it, please.
(四)
The art of growing dwarf (short) trees, or “bonsai” as their Japanese planters call them, is increasing in popularity in the United States. Growing bonsai can make a fascinating hobby for anyone who enjoys plants and creating beautiful effects with them. However, how can we meet the goal of making such a kind of art? This maybe is the problem for many of us.
There are, in fact, four important guidelines to follow in growing bonsai. First, one must be careful in choosing the type of tree. Not all species of trees can be made into bonsai, since the growing conditions are unusual.
Second, one must be careful in choosing the size of the container the bonsai will be in. This is necessary because the major growth of bonsai is kept confined to the tree’s trunk and leaves, not its root system.
Another thing the bonsai-grower must do is to trim (修整) the roots and branches of the tree periodically (定期地). Unless this is done, the plants will look unnatural. The Japanese ideal for bonsai is not to have the proper proportions and will have trees which are just like normal trees in everything, but in small size.
The last thing one must do is to be careful to keep the miniature (small) tree well-watered, or it will die.
As one can see from above, the art of bonsai-growing is one which requires a certain amount of time and effort. The satisfactions that growing bonsai brings can be great, however. Imagine having such a tree in your living room and passing it down through several generations of your family. That is exactly what bonsai-growing is all about: establishing a tradition of beauty which lasts for years and years and is a symbol of the beauties of the natural world.
【参考答案】
(一) 1. On Tax2. Tax is necessary3. Taxes
4. Sources 5. Uses 6. Direct tax
7. Indirect tax 8. On education 9. On development
10. Conclusion
(二) 1. his Grameen Bank2. 1976 3. Purpose
4. Results 5. In Bangladesh 6. to poor women
7. In U.S./In America 8. SNG
9. Muhammad’s hope10. creating a system
(三) 1. One-child policy survey 2. Purpose
3. Reasons or comments4. Opposing
5. Supporting 6. help, feeling, care
7. no idea
8. some individual cases
9. stealing her belongings
10. Request
(四) 1. Bonsai-growing 2. Purpose
3. Results4. type of tree
5. Some species 6. The bonsai’s growth
7. Periodical trim 8. natural
9. living / alive 10. Effects
(编辑 周贞雄)
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