The poverty line is the minimum income that p...

The poverty line is the minimum income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem.

As the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line does, too. Therefore, even with today’s relatively high standard of living, about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs, they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs.

For one thing, more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people are children. By law, children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old, the normal retirement age.

Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons: they are sick, they do not have any motivation, they have family problems, or they do not believe that they can find a job.

Other poor people look for a job, but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills that they can offer.

At the present time, the government thinks it can reduce poverty in the country in the following ways:

First, if the national economy grows, businesses and industries hire more workers. Some of the poor who are qualified to look for jobs may find employment. Then they will no longer below the poverty line.

Second, if society invests in the poor，the poor will become more productive.

If the government spends money on social programs, education and training for poor people, the poor will have the skills to offer. Then it is more probable that they can find jobs.

Finally, if the government distributes society’s income differently, it raises some poor people above the poverty line. The government collects taxes from the non-poor and gives money to the poor. These payments to the poor are called welfare.

Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time, many people depend on welfare for a minimally acceptable standard of living.

1.This passage is mainly about 　　　　　 .

A. the poverty line

B. how to look for jobs

C. how to raise the standard of living

D. the causes of poverty and solutions to the problem

2.If the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line 　　　　　 .

A. falls　　 B. does not change

C. rises　　 D. changes at random

3.Which one is not the reason that poor adults do not look for jobs?

A. They are too sick to work.　　 B. They have no motivation.

C. They family problems.　　 D. They are too lazy to find jobs.

4.The underlined word “distribute” means “　　　　 ”.

A. charge　　 B. share

C. receive　　 D. deliver

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It is a matter of common observation that although incomes keep going up over the years，people never seem to become much better off! Prices are rising continuously．The condition is termed(称作) one kind 0f inflation, the money supply is becoming inflated so that each unit of it becomes less valuable．People have got used in recent years to higher and higher rates of inflation．

What could be bought ten years ago for one dollar now costs well over two dollars. It seems that this rate of inflation is tending to rise rather than to fall．If in the real world our money incomes go up at the same rate as prices，one might think that inflation does not matter．But it does when money is losing value，it lacks one of the qualities of a good money---stability (稳定) of value．It is no longer acceptable as a store of value；and it becomes an unsuitable standard of deferred(延期) payments．Nobody wants to hold a wasting possession，so people try to get rid of money as quickly as possible. Inflation therefore stimulates people spending，and prevents people from saving.

1.

What does inflation mean?

A．People’s money becomes more valuable

B．The problem of employment will be solved．

C．It’s easier for people to find better paying jobs．

D．Money keeps losing its value．

2.

From the passage．we can know inflation __________.

A．seldom happens                   B．is very common at present

C．is a must                            D．has become less in recent years

3.

According to the passage，if incomes and prices rise together ______

A．the business will become better      B．money will hold its value

C．inflation won’t be a problem D．inflation will remain to be a problem

4.

In a period of inflation，people are likely to  ______  ．

A．put much money on the stock market(股市)

B．stop spending money

C．hold on to money as a dependable possession

D．spend money as soon as possible

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

We hope that as many people as possible________join us for the picnic tomorrow.

A. need                       B. can                           C. must                        D. should

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The fact of the matter is that most people __________far more protein than they actually need.

A.employ B.overuse C.manage D.consume

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

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-tax．Whether he is a businessman, a doctor, a lawyer, a shopkeeper, a miner, or anything else．This is called a “direct” tax, because it is paid in money direct to the government．

Another tax is paid on goods such as watches, jewellery, 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 later sold in shops．We call it “indirect” tax, because it is paid indirectly through the shopkeeper．

People usually complain about having to pay taxes, but they forget that the money is spent on the 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 cannot have an army without paying for it．

Taxes, therefore, cannot be avoided．We buy our own food and clothes and pay for our own amusements, but there are several things that the State finds the money for, and that are necessary for us if our society is to continue．So we have no real cause to complain when we are asked to supply money to be spent for the good of ourselves and for our fellow-citizens．

1.Indirect tax means _______．

A．tax that one pays direct to the government

B．tax that is not paid directly to the government

C．tax that is paid as an extra amount added to the price of certain goods

D．Both B and C

2.Which of the following is right?

A．Taxes are paid to the sellers．

B．Income-tax is an indirect tax．

C．The tax on new clothes is paid in money direct to the government．

D．Tax is amount of money that you have to pay to the government so that it can pay for public services．

3.People have no real reason to complain about having to pay taxes because _______．

A．some shopkeepers are very rich

B．they need money to buy goods from abroad

C．their children need education

D．the money is spent on the things that they and their families need

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Coalition for the Homeless is an organization that seeks to address the needs of the homeless population in the United States．It is a network of offices, some of which provide food and houses for the homeless population．and some of which fight for the passing of laws that would give every American the right to a place to call home．According to the Coalition’s studies, of over two hundred million people living in the United States, up to three million are homeless—and the number is still growing since the late 1970s, fast rising house prices, large cuts in government supported housing programs, and economic recession have made it impossible for many Americans to meet housing costs．Sadly, this has resulted in a number of persons being forced to leave their homes and or unable to find new affordable homes．According to another research．families with children appear to be the fastest-growing part of the homeless population, making up 39% of it．The old idea of a homeless person, that of the single man who gets drunk all the time, is no longer true．A much larger part of the population now finds itself homeless．Even worse, once a person becomes homeless, he often finds it impossible to find a job, since most employers require anyone who wants a job from them to provide a home address on a job application

1.The word “address” in the first line probably means          ．

A．talk about  B．deal with        C．fight for             D．write to

2.How many people are homeless in the U．S．according to the Coalition studies?

A．39% of the population．                                  B．200 million people．

C．About 3 million people．                                 D．About one-fifth of the population．

3.Homeless people often have difficulty finding a job because________．

A．they have no home addresses

B．they mostly have a drinking problem

C．they aren't supported by government programs

D．they often don't have enough work experience

4.What is the main cause of the rising number of the homeless in the U．S．?

A．The passing of new housing laws．    B．The fast growth of family size．

C．The slow construction of houses．    D．The ever-rising price of housing．

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Red Cross is an international organization which cares for people who are in need of help. A man in a Paris hospital who needs blood, a woman in Mexico who was injured in an earthquake, and a family in India that lost their home in a storm may all be aided by the Red Cross.

The Red Cross exists in almost every country around the world. The world Red Cross organizations are sometimes called the Red Crescent, the Red Mogen Daid, the Sun, and the Red Lion. All of these agencies share a common goal of trying to help people in need.

The idea of forming an organization to help the sick and wounded during a war started with Jean Henri Dunant. In 1859, he observed how people were suffering on a battlefield in Italy. He wanted to help all the wounded people regardless of which side they were fighting for. The most important result of his work was an international treaty called the Geneva Convention(日内瓦协定). It protects prisoners of war, the sick and wounded, and other citizens during a war.

The American Red Cross was set up by Clara Barton in 1881. Today the Red Cross in the United States provides a number of services for the public, such as helping people in need, teaching first aid and providing blood.

1.A good title for this passage is ________.

2.The word “aided ” in the first paragraph means ________.

3.The author really tries to make the reader see that this organization ________.

4.We may draw a conclusion (下结论)that ________ during a war.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Our public transportation system is not ________ for the needs of people.

A. complete       B. adequate     C. good        D. normal

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Our public transportation system is not ________ for the needs of people.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Growing Minds Need Greener Spaces

It is not a secret that spending time outdoors is good for us.The more we learn about the benefits of being in nature, the more sense it makes to get outside.

1.New research suggests that kids may learn better when they are surrounded by greener spaces.Green spaces are spaces filled with Vegetation-like trees,flowers and other plants.

But these days,outdoor time is competing for a child’s attention with indoor activities.Children may find it difficult to resist computers,television and electronic games.2.All these indoor activities can hurt a child’s physical and mental health.

Doctor Payam Dadvand and his team at the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona study the environment effects on health and learning.

The researchers used information from satellites to learn how much green space surrounded each school.Over one year, the children took computerized tests for four times.3.They found that the children with higher contact with green space had better ability to memorize.They were also more attentive.4.More trees means less air pollution.

5.Lisa Freund is an expert in child psychology for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.She says more studies are needed to learn the Health and Human Development.She says more studies are needed to learn the reasons that vegetation in and around schools improves mental ability.

A.They measured memory and attention span.

B.This could be especially important for school children.

C.Approximately one half of the world population lives in cities.

D.The question of why green spaces affect learning is a new one.

E.The research suggests good air quality is the main reason for the results.

F.So, in many pans of the world children are spending less and less time outdoors.

G.The researchers created mathematical models to compare the amount of vegetation.

高二英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析