职称英语阅读.docx

1、职称英语阅读They Say Irelands the BestIreland is the best place in the world lo live for 2005according to a life quality ranking that appeared in Britain.s Economist magazine last weekThe ambitious attempt to compare happiness levels around the World is based ol3 the principle that wealth is not the only

2、measure of human satisfaction and well-beingThe index of 111 countries uses data on incomeshealthunemploymentclimate, political stability, job security, gender equality as well as what the magazine calls freedom，family and community lifeDespite the bad weather, troubled health service.traffic conges

3、tion（拥挤）, gender inequality, and the high cost of living.Ireland scored an impressive 8.33 points out of l0That put it well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which managed 8.07. Zimbabwe. troubled by political insecurity and hunger, is rated the gloomiest（最差的）, picking up only 3.89 pointsAlthough r

4、ising incomes and increased individual choices are highly valued, the report said. some of the factors associated with modernization such as the breakdown（崩溃）in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a positive impact.Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most

5、desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain warm elements of the old, such as stable family and community life.The magazine admitted measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings would have their critics.N0.2 on the list is SwitzerlandThe ot

6、her nations in the top 10 are Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Denmark and Spain.The UK is portioned at N0.29, a much lower position chiefly because of the social and family breakdown recorded in official statistics. The US, which has the second highest per capita GDP（人均国内生产总值）

7、after Luxembourg, took the 13th place in the surveyChina was in the lower haft of the league at 60th16 For 2,005 years，Ireland has been the best place for humans to live in.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned17 Job security is the least important measure of life quality.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned18

8、 Cost of living in Ireland is pretty high.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned19 Family life in Zimbabwe is not stableA Right B Wrong C Not mentioned20 lreland is positioned at N01 because it combines the most desirable elements of the new with some good elements of the old.A Right B Wrong C Not mentione

9、d21 To measure life quality is easyA Right B Wrong C Not mentioned22 The United States of America is among the top 10 countries.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned参考答案：16. B 17. C 18. A 19. C 20. A 21. B 22. BNorwichNorwich, the capital of the part of Britain known as East Anglia, has been in existence

10、for more than two thousand years. It began as a small village beside the River Wensum. At the time of the Norman invasion in 1066 it had grown to become one of the largest towns in England.With two cathedrals and a mosque （清真寺）, Norwich has long been a popular centre for various religions. The first

11、 cathedral was built in 1095 and has recently celebrated its 900th anniversary, while Norwich itself had a year of celebration in 1994 to mark the 800th anniversary of the city receiving a Royal Charter. This allowed it to be called a city and to govern itself independently.Today, in comparison with

12、 places like London or Manchester, Norwich is quite small, with a population of around 150,000, but in the 16th century Norwich was the second largest city of England. It continued to grow for the next 300 years and got richer and richer, becoming famous for having as many churches as there are week

13、s in the year and as many pubs as there are days in the year.Nowadays, there are far fewer churches and pubs, but in 1964 the University of East Anglia was built in Norwich. With its fast-growing student population and its success as a modern commercial centre （Norwich is the biggest centre for insu

14、rance services outside London）, the city now has a wide choice of entertainment: theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, busy cafes, excellent restaurants, and a number of arts and leisure centres. There is also a football team, whose colours are green and yellow. The team is known as The Canaries （金丝雀）, tho

15、ugh nobody can be sure why.Now the citys attractions include another important development, a modern shopping centre called The Castle Mall. The people of Norwich lived with a very large hole in the middle of their city for over two years, as builders dug up the main car park. Lorries moved nearly a

16、 million tons of earth so that the roof of the Mall could become a city centre park, with attractive water pools and hundreds of trees. But the local people are really pleased that the old open market remains, right in the heart of the city and next to the new development. Both areas continue to do

17、good business, proving that Norwich has managed to mix the best of the old and the new.16 The River Wensum flows by NorwichA Right B Wrong C Not mentioned17 People have lived by the River Wensum for at least 2,000 yearsA Right B Wrong C Not mentioned18 Norwich has been a city since its first cathedr

18、al was builtA Right B Wrong C Not mentioned19 Norwich has always been one of the smallest English citiesA Right B Wrong C Not mentioned20 The number of foreign students in Norwich has been increasing since 1964.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned21 The football team is called The Canaries because of the

19、 colours the players wear.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned22 It took more than two years to build The Castle MallA Right B Wrong C Not mentioned参考答案：16. A 17. A 18. B 19. B 20. C 21. B 22. AFairy Tales for All the WorldThis year, the world is marking the 200m anniversary of Danish author Hans Christi

20、an Andersen with a wide range of events.Andersens tales have attracted millions of readers for more than a century. They continue to be among the best-known works of world literature. The Ugly Duckling （小鸭） and The Little Mermaid （美人鱼） are among the most famous.He was born on April 2, 1805, in the s

21、lums of Odense, Denmark. His father was a shoemaker and his mother worked as a washer-woman. Andersen received very little education, but his fascination with fairy tales inspired him to compose his own stories and arrange puppet （木偶） shows.His father died when he was 11. He was forced to go to work

22、, first as an apprentice to a weaver and tailor and then in a tobacco factory. At the age of 14, he moved to Copenhagen to try a career as a singer, dancer and actor. He sang in a boys choir（合唱团）, but he made very little money. He also tried the ballet, but his awkwardness made this impossible.Final

23、ly, when he was 17, Jonas Collin, a director of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen discovered Andersen. After hearing Andersen read a play, Collin realized that he had talent. And he got money from the king for Andersens education.In 1828, Andersen passed the entrance examinations to the university in

24、Copenhagen. His writings were first published in 1829. In 1833, he received grant money for travel, which he used to visit Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy. These journeys were recorded in his travelogues（旅行见闻）. In 1835, Andersen published Fairy Tales for Children, which contained four short

25、stories. He eventually wrote around 168 fairy tales. They achieved success in his life-time and were widely published and translated.Unhappiness also found its way into many of his tales which were not meant merely for children but for adults as well. He used very simple language and style to disgui

26、se the moral teachings of his tales.Andersen also wrote novels, plays and poems. He died at his home in Rolighed on August 4, 1875.16 Andersen died on April 4, 1875.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned17 Chinese children are particularly fond of Andersens tales.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned18 Andersen

27、was not a good ballet dancer.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned19 Collin managed to get money for Andersen to receive more education.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned20 Andersens fairy tales didnt achieve success until after he died.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned21 Andersens tales not only tell stories

28、but also teach moral lessons.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned22 Andersens novels, plays and poems are not well-known.A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned参考答案：16. B 17. C 18. A 19. A 20. B 21. A 22. CPlants in DesertOnly special plants can survive the terrible climate of a desert， for these are regions whe

29、re the annual range of the soil temperature can be over 75. Furthermore， during the summer there are few clouds in the sky to protect plants from the suns ray. Another problem is the fact that there are frequently strong winds which drive small， sharp particles of sand into the plants， tearing and d

30、amaging them. The most difficult problem for all forms of plant life， however， is the fact that the entire annual rainfall occurs during a few days or weeks in spring.Grasses and flowers in desert survive from one year to the next by existing through the long， hot， dry season in the form of seeds. T

31、hese seeds remain inactive unless the right amount of rain falls. If no rain falls， or if insufficient rain falls， they wait until the next year， or even still the next. Another factor that helps these plants to survive is the fact that their life cycles are short. By the time that the water from th

32、e spring rains disappears just a few weeks after it falls such plants no longer need any.The perennials have special features which enable them to survive as plants for several years. Thus， nearly all desert perennials have extensive root systems below ground and a small shoot system above ground. The large root network enables the plant to absorb as much water as possible in a short time. The small shoot system， on the other hand， considerably limits water loss by evaporation.Another fea