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Gets Into the Spirit
Ryan Reynolds’ résumé just got longer. Spirits just got longer. Spirits importer Davos Brands announced February 21 that the actor has decided to invest in their Aviation Gin. After taking just one sip, the 41-year-old says, “I knew I wanted to get involved with the company.” The dad of two adds his name to the growing list of celebrities who’ve taken risks into the liquor business, including Justin Timberlake, Matthew McConaughey and George Clooney. Adds the Deadpool star, “I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of the company.”
Expanding Her Empire
First came the 8-carat sparkler from Migos rapper Offset, 26. Soon after, Cardi B got a second huge shock. “She’s definitely pregnant,” reveals one insider. Adds another source of the “Bodak Yellow” rapper, said to be more than three months along, “She was really surprised.”
Though the two-time Grammy nominee (a person who has been formally suggested) has denied she’s expecting (she told one fan she’s “just getting fat”), sources says she’s already making adjustments to her packed schedule. “She was supposed to go on a small tour with Bruno Mars,” says the insider, but now that trip is in question. But the 25-year-old is unbothered, says the source:
“She’s head over heels for Offset and can’t wait to have their baby.”
Paradise Found
Introducing Bachelor Nation’s newest member!
On February 15, Bachelor in Paradise alumni Carly Waddell and Evan Bass began a new chapter of their amazing journey. After what 35-year-old Bass — father of boys Ensley, Nathan and Liam from a previous marriage — called a “supersmooth pregnancy,” his wife of nearly nine months welcomed their first child, Isabella Evelyn. “Everyone is healthy and happy,” he said. And prepared for their new roles: Even before the 32-year-old’s pregnancy, Bass was convinced she’d be an outstanding mom. She’s “on the sidelines at every soccer game,” he added. “The boys really love her.”
1.What has Cardi B denied?
A.She has denied a coming tour. B.She has denied being pregnant.
C.She has denied her getting fat. D.She has denied getting divorced.
2.How many sons does Bass probably have NOW?
A.One. B.Two. C.Three. D.Four.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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If Thelma Richards continues to pay $917 a month, every month, for the foreseeable future, she’ll pay off her student loans by the end of 2042. The problem is, by then she’ll be 87 years old. “I don’t think I’m going to live that long,” she says, laughing. “I’m not joking!” Richards, 65, who lives in Little Falls, N.Y., represents a growing number of older Americans, who are now more likely than ever to hold student debt well into retirement age. According to a January report from the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the number of Americans aged 60 and older carrying student debt doubled in the past five years.
The rapid rise in older Americans taking on student loans has two main causes. The first is that parents and grandparents are co-signing loans to support the younger generation. The second is that older Americans are increasingly taking student loans for themselves. With blue-collar jobs decreasing, people in their 40s and 50s are going back to school to acquire new skills.
Richards, for example, who worked as a waitress while raising three children as a single mom, went back to college in her 40s to earn a degree in occupational treatment. While her new profession produces a higher income and health care benefits, it has also left her with a lifetime of debt. Trends leave older borrowers in a bind. They have less time in the workforce and are more likely to become ill, often in a weaker position to pay back loans. Making monthly payments on a fixed income is also more difficult than it is for younger borrowers, whose incomes are more likely to grow.
According to the CFPB report, more than a third of those aged 60 and older with student debt had given up medical care to afford their loan payments. And there’s no way out. Robert Farrington, the founder of the website the College Investor, says one main piece of advice for older borrowers is simply to avoid any loan that isn’t repayable in 10 years. “Remember,” he says, “if you don’t pay, they’ll come after you.”
1.How much should Thelma Richards pay from 1st April 2030 to 31st December 2050 for the student loan according to the passage?
A.Approximately $129,300 B.Approximately $140,300
C.Approximately $217,300 D.Approximately $228,300
2.For whom do Americans take student loans according to the passage?
A.Children. B.Grandparents.
C.The government. D.Themselves or kids.
3.Which of the following is NOT a reason why it is difficult for Americans to pay off student loans?
A.The banks are too greedy. B.They easily become ill.
C.Some have to attend school. D.Their work time is reduced.
4.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A.Student Loan Cannot Be Paid in America
B.The Government Should Reduce Student Loan
C.Retirees Shoulder a Bigger Share of Student Debt
D.Student Debt is the Biggest Trouble in America
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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A substitute teacher crunch has forced Chicago area school districts to raise sub pay, to use parents as subs and even to seek out teachers from moonlighting police and fire department ranks. The crunch also means good subs are getting harder to find, some say. “It’s not only a quantity problem but a quality problem,” said Barbara Radner, director of DePaul University’s Center for Urban Education, which serves as expert partner to 31 academically troubled Chicago public schools. “We’re getting to the bottom of the talent pool and it’s empty,” she said. And a bad sub, Radner explained, can move a class backward by confusing students.
Radner said Chicago’s sub shortage is at “crisis” levels and the worst she’s seen in 15 years, although city school officials say West Side schools seem to be affected the most. Using the Chicago system’s substitute teacher center is like engaging in “Russian roulette”, Radner said. “Every sixth sub you get could be a total blowup.” Increasingly, she said, principals in schools she works with say they can’t get subs, or the subs they get leave midday because they can’t handle the job. Chicago school officials are recruiting police officers and firefighters to sub in high-crime areas that some subs refuse to enter. A sub recruitment push is also planned on college campuses - among graduate and doctoral students who may find the part-time work attractive, Schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas said.
Teachers often leave detailed lesson plans for subs if they know in advance they will be off, and keep “emergency plans” on file for unexpected absences, such as an illness. But Radner said emergency plans can amount to “a recipe for baby-sitter.” Carolyn Martin said her daughter’s last sub at Bolingbrook’s Tibbott Elementary in Valley View District 365 was so unpleasant that she may demand to sit in the classroom next time there’s a problem sub. “The last time they had a sub, the substitute teacher had to call the principal into the room,” Martin said, “This is a third-grade classroom, and the lady couldn’t even handle it”.
Demand for subs is high because of several factors, school officials say. For starters, those who hold sub certificate may not be using them because they have found better-paying jobs in today’s booming economy. Six or seven years age, Schaumburg District 54 Associate Supt. Kenneth Cull said, “I used to have 30 real estate agents sign up for sub work because they had college degrees and business was slow. I don’t have that anymore.” Sub pools have been further consumed by several waves of early teacher retirements and increased student enrollments — both of which have meant more subs are being hired as full-time teachers.
1.What is troubling the Chicago school districts?
A.People in unrelated areas find jobs in school teaching.
B.Quality of regular and sub teachers needs improving.
C.Students suffer greatly from unprofessional teachers.
D.Chicago area is in bad need of qualified sub teachers.
2.From the second paragraph, we learn____.
A.the sub crunches before were not as bad as the present ones
B.many principals quit their jobs as they can’ t handle the situation
C.police officers are sent to the high-crime areas to keep order
D.six out of ten substitute teachers come from college campuses
3.According to Radner, the emergency plans____.
A.are most effective in mending the situation B.are detested by most parents
C.are resisted by most students D.do not efficiently meet the situation
4.Which of the following is NOT a factor that leads to the shortage of qualified subs?
A.Many certified teachers quit their teaching positions for other professions.
B.Sound economic situation attracts many candidates from teaching positions.
C.There are more students admitted to schools than ever before.
D.Many teachers retire earlier from their positions than they should.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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For more than 2,000 years the Chinese people have been guided by the ideals of Confucianism. Its founder and greatest teacher was Confucius, whose humane philosophy also influenced the civilization of all of eastern Asia. Many legends were spread to illustrate Confucius’ beliefs. According to one story, he and his followers passed a cemetery where a woman was weeping at a graveside. She told them she was crying because “my husband’s father was killed here by a tiger, and my husband also, and now my son has met the same fate”. When they asked her why she did not leave such a fatal spot, she answered that in this place there was no oppressive government. “Remember this, my children,” said Confucius, “oppressive government is fiercer and more feared than a tiger”.
In such teaching and with such wise sayings, Confucius tried to bring people a respect for the teachings of the wise men of older generations. He always said of himself that he was a “transmitter, not a maker”. He collected and edited the poetry, the music, and the historical writings of what he considered the golden age.
Confucius laid no claim to being more than a man. Yet when he died he was admired almost as god. Temples were constructed in his honor in every city of China. His grave at Kufow, in what is now Shandong Province, became a place of pilgrimage.
Though Confucianism is commonly called a religion, it is rather a system of moral conduct. Confucius did not talk of God but of goodness. He did not teach about any god, simply saying, “Respect the gods, but have as little to do with them as possible.” His attention was centered on making people better in their lifetime, and his Analects are wise sayings similar to the Proverbs in the Bible.
Confucius is the Latinized form of the philosopher’s Chinese name, which was K’ung-fu-tzu, meaning Master K’ung. He was born in a poor but noble family. His father died when the boy was 3 years old. When he was only 6, people noted his fondness for setting out sacrifices and for ceremony. After his marriage at age 19, he worked for the governor of his district, first a keeper of stores and then as an overseer of parks and livestock. At the age of 22 he began his life as a teacher by establishing a school. He accepted valuable aid from some of his students, but he also welcomed students who could afford to pay only a small fee.
After some years of teaching and travel, he settled in Shandong for 15 years. When he was 52 years old, he was rewarded with an appointment as governor of a province and never failed to win the credit he deserved. He performed his task so well that a neighboring governor became jealous. Later, Confucius traveled around other kingdoms and wandered about for 13 years. Eventually, he returned to his native state of Lu in his 69th year and died three years later.
1.The story of the woman in Para.1 is mentioned to show____.
A.Confucius was creative and sympathetic
B.the government then was fiercer than a tiger
C.Confucius’ beliefs are very popular
D.Confucius often wanted to influence people
2.According to the author, Confucius himself____.
A.was tired of spreading his teachings in his late year.
B.was not interested in reforming the society
C.did not want people to worship him as god
D.showed great disrespect for the noble families
3.What does the underlined sentence in Para.4 mean?
A.Confucianism is different from common religion.
B.God blesses those who show respect and goodness.
C.People are advised to keep a distance from gods.
D.Confucius highlights the importance of virtue.
4.In the eyes of the author, Confucius’ political life____.
A.was highly successful
B.turned out to be a surprise
C.was bound to fail because of his belief
D.was not so important as his teaching life
5.As regards Confucius and his teachings, the tone of the passage is marked with____.
A.objective spirit B.deep admiration
C.great openness D.obvious surprise
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
