New Zealand plans to bar foreigners from purc...

New Zealand plans to bar foreigners from purchasing existing homes. The ban is expected to become law this year. It aims to slow the rising housing prices and protect New Zealanders interested in buying a home.

The Labour Party government believes that foreign investors have pushed many possible first-time home buyers and families out of the housing market. Last year, median housing prices across the country rose by 5.8 percent, to over $405,000. Housing prices rose even more in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. Price there rose by more than 18 percent over a 12-month period that ended in June 2017.

The rising prices have pushed home ownership outside the reach of many possible buyers. One home owner told VOA he feels sorry for the younger generation. “I just believe the market has made it impossible for them to get into the housing. ’’ Just 25 years ago, three out of every four New Zealanders lived in their own homes. Now the rate is 64 percent —and falling.

The plan to ban foreigners from buying existing homes has yet to be approved. But the measure, called the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill, passed its first reading in parliament in December. Restricting foreign ownership of housing has been tried in other countries, including Switzerland, “If foreign investors are looking to put their cash into New Zealand, if it then forces up the price of property, people cannot afford to live anymore.” says Norman Gemmell, chair of public finance at Victoria University.

Critics say foreign investors have had only a small effect on the cost of housing. Low interest rates, limited supply and immigration have also driven up house prices.

Housing prices continue to make solid gains across the country. And for many New Zealanders, the dream of owning a home is as distant as ever.

1.Which is the main factor of the high housing prices, according to the Labour Party government?

A. Low interest rates.　　 B. Domestic investors.

C. Immigration.　　 D. Foreign buyers.

2.What is true about the housing condition in New Zealand?

A. Housing prices rose by over 18 percent over a year.

B. The housing prices of the capital city rose the least.

C. The rate of New Zealanders living in their own houses is decreasing.

D. The country has witnessed the highest rise of housing prices up to now.

3.What do we know about the ban against housing buying of foreigners?

A. It has been approved in New Zealand so far.

B. It has won the support of people from all walks of life.

C. Similar bans have been adopted in some other countries.

D. It will definitely make New Zealanders harder to own a home.

4.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. It is hard for the locals to buy a house in New Zealand.

B. A ban on stopping foreign home buyers will take effect in New Zealand.

C. The prices of houses have been rising sharply in New Zealand.

D. There are many reasons for high housing prices in New Zealand.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists in New Zealand have found fossilized (化石的) leg bones from a penguin believed to have been about the size of an adult human. The previously undiscovered giant penguin species likely stood about 1.6 meters tall and weighed up to 80 kilograms.

The penguin existed about 60 million years ago. The bones are believed to be from the oldest of several species of giant penguins that lived after dinosaurs died out. A fossil hunter found the bones last year in the Waipara River bed near the city of Christchurch. The bones are from the animal’s legs and feet. Scientists confirmed that the bones came from a newly discovered species.

Paul Scofield is senior curator (馆长) at New Zealand’s Canterbury Museum. He co-wrote a paper on the discovery. He said that the bones are an important find. They show that the species is similar to another giant penguin found in Antarctica in 2000. The latest discovery, he said, helps show a clear connection between the two areas during the Paleocene period. This period lasted from 66 million to 56 million years ago.

Scofield said the penguins were able to grow larger after entering a new development period following the extinction of dinosaurs, sea reptiles and huge fish. Scofield added that the giant penguins became extinct within 30 million years, as large mammals began to rule the waters.

John Cockrem is a penguin expert at the country’s Massey University who was also not involved in the research. He said the discovery helps add to what we know about giant penguins. He said it also confirmed New Zealand as the penguin center of the world.

New Zealand is believed to have been home to many giant bird species that later disappeared. These included the world’s largest parrot, a giant eagle and an emu-like bird called the moa. Recently, Canterbury Museum announced the discovery of an unusually large parrot believed to have lived about 19 million years ago. Scientists say the bird stood about one meter tall.

1.What is special about the penguin found in New Zealand?

A.The place it lived in. B.The age of its existence.

C.Its species and size. D.Its shape and habits.

2.Why did the giant penguins die out?

A.Large mammals controlled the sea.

B.They were killed out by huge fish.

C.Climate changes were not fit for them.

D.They grew too large to feed themselves.

3.What do we know from the last paragraph?

A.All kinds of penguins live in New Zealand.

B.Many giant birds used to exist in New Zealand.

C.The world’s largest parrot lives in New Zealand.

D.New Zealand owns the most bird species in the world.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A.Similar Penguin Fossils Have Been Found Again

B.An Ancient Creature Has Been Found in New Zealand

C.Some Giant Penguins Appeared after Dinosaurs Died Out

D.Scientists Found Bones from Giant Penguin in New Zealand

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Energy drinks are not allowed _______ in Australia but are brought in from New Zealand.

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

_________ some 3 500 kilometers from Polynesia to New Zealand.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

A ______ identification card is required when you purchase foreign money from Bank of China.

A.beneficial B.perfect C.valid D.flexible

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

A ___________ identification card is required when you purchase foreign money from the     Bank of China.

A. valid         B. fruitful       C. beneficial      D. effective

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Recently, a couple in New Zealand were forbidden from naming their baby son 4Real. Even 36 New Zealand has quite free rules about 37 children, names beginning with a 38  are not allowed. They decided to call him Superman 39.

In many countries around the world, 40 names for children are becoming more popular. In Britain, you can call a child almost 41 you like. The only restrictions(限制) on parents 42 to offensive(冒犯的) words such as swear words.

43parents choose names which come from44culture. For example, there have been six boys named Gandalf45the character in the Lord of the Rings(指环王) novels and films. 46, names related to sport are fairly common – 47 1984, 36 children have been called Arsenal(阿森纳) after the football team. Other parents like to 48 names, or combine names to make their own 49 names, a method demonstrated (证实的) by Jordan, the British model,50 recently invented the name Tiaamii for her daughter by 51 names Thea and Amy (the two grandmothers).

Some names which were previously 52 as old-fashioned have 53 popular again, but the most popular names are not the strange 54. The top names are fairly 55, for example, Jack, Charlie and Thomas for boys and Grace, Ruby and Jessica for girls.

高三英语完型填空困难题查看答案及解析

A gaming company in New Zealand is luring employees. from around the world by offering unlimited paid annual leave, a share in the company’s profits and no set work hours.

Dean Hall became famous in international gaming circles for being the lead designer on popular video game DayZ. After searching the world for a location for his new gaming studio, Rocketwerkz, New Zealander Hall settled on the small university town of Dunedin on the south island’s east coast, where land is cheap and creative start-ups have become an important pan of the city’s identity.

Rocketwerkz’s flexible work culture is now drawing talent from around the globe, with Hall receiving 300 messages of inquiry since a local newspaper wrote about his studio last week.

Last year, when the company was still in its infancy(婴儿期), baby cats would also make a regular appearance in the office as a form of fighting stress, and Friday afternoons are generally reserved for sports and games to end the week on a playful note.

“The first time I heard about the idea of unlimited paid leave in places like Silicon Valley it was about the problems it caused. A culture had appeared where employees took no leave,” said Hall.

“So to address that, our staff are issued the standard New Zealand annual leave of four weeks, but they can also take unlimited leave in addition to that.”

Emily Lampitt, from Britain, is a 3D junior artist who has been with the company for a year and a half. She says the flexible work culture was a huge factor in her decision to move to New Zealand.

“The flexibility here has made me feel much more relaxed” she says. I “That internal stress I used to feel in a traditional work environment has gone, so when I am at work now it is because I want to be, because I am passionate(有激情的), not because I am afraid of my boss or watching the clock.”

1.The underlined word “luring” in Paragraph I is closest in meaning to 　　　 .

A. cheating　　 B. disturbing

C. inspiring　　 D. attracting

2.Why are baby cats mentioned in Paragraph 4?

A. To show the company focuses on pressure relief.

B. To explain how the company motivates its staff.

C. To stress the significance of harmony in workplaces.

D. To introduce a new way to promote creativity

3.According to the passage, unlimited paid leave in Silicon Valley 　　　 .

A. set a good example to Rochetwerkz.

B. didn’t work out as expected.

C. helped develop the local culture.

D. solved the problem of unemployment.

4.What is the writing purpose of the above text?

A. To encourage companies to be more flexible.

B. To describe what a creative company should be like.

C. To give a report on the flexible management of a company.

D. To discuss how to make a traditional company more competitive.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

While some scientists overlook the existence of a sixth sense for danger, a new research from Washington University in St. Louis has discovered a brain area that clearly acts as an early warning system and helps us adjust our behavior to avoid dangerous situations.

"Our brains are better at picking up not obvious warning signs than we previously thought," said Joshua Brown, a PhD in psychology in the issue of the journal Science.

The findings offer exact scientific evidence for a new way to form a concept of the complex control processes taking place in and around the ACC, a brain area located near the top of the frontal lobes(耳垂) and along the walls that divide the left and right hemispheres(大脑半球).

"In the past, we found activity in the ACC when people had to make a difficult decision, or after they make a mistake," Brown said. "But now we find that this brain area can actually learn to recognize when you might make a mistake, even before a difficult decision has to be made. So the ACC appears to act as an early warning system—— it learns to warn us in advance when our behavior might lead to a negative outcome, so that we can be more careful and avoid making a mistake."

By providing a clearer picture by which we self monitor and control our behavior, the study is an important step in efforts to develop more effective treatments for mental illnesses. It also provides a new way of understanding inappropriate behaviors that often accompany mental illnesses.

"Our results suggest how injury of the ACC can lead to breakdowns in the early warning system, so that the brain fails to stop or control inappropriate behavior ahead of time," said Brown. "On the other hand, in those persons with mental disorder, the ACC might warn us of an upcoming problem even when no problem is in the existence."

Known to be an important part of the brain's control system, the ACC is believed to help adjust between cold, hard, fact-based reasoning and emotional responses, such as love, fear or expectation.

1.According to the passage, the ACC____________.

A. refers to the sixth sense for danger

B. deals with obvious warning situations

C. connects the left and right hemispheres

D. sends warning messages in advance

2.The new research is beneficial because it ________ .

A. provides a new way of avoiding mistakes

B. adjusts emotional responses in time of danger

C. helps find better treatments for mental illnesses

D. assists people in predicting and avoiding danger

3.The new research helps us understand _________.

A. why we are likely to make mistakes when the ACC is badly injured

B. why people with illnesses usually have so many strange behaviors

C. how the ACC works when something dangerous happens

D. how our brain warns us of failure in advance

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The heavy smoke from devastating Australian bushfires cloaked Auckland, 1.(turn) the city's skyline into strange, mysterious and frightening orange color 2. Sunday afternoon.

New Zealand meteorology service MetService forecast that 3. upper level jet of westerly winds was driving the smoke across the Tasman Sea towards New Zealand. The smoke 4.(expect) to arrive Sunday evening and was likely to be 5.(large) gone by the morning.

It is the second layer of smoke coming from the Australian bushfires, 6. is cloaking the North Island and upper parts of the South Island. Much of the South Island 7.(awake) to reddish-brown skies on New Year's Day before the smoke spread to the North Island.

MetService said it is possible 8. people would be able to smell and taste the smoke. However, long-lasting health 9.(effect) are not expected.

On Friday, the New Zealand government pledged twenty two 10.(many) firefighters to help fight the Australian bushfires.

高三英语语法填空简单题查看答案及解析