2013届高三英语星级阶梯阅读练习 二星级 4
A
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled --- to $1.01 per pack --- smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates. They’ve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the nation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation, the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys ---13.8%, far below the national average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky. Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.
Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That’s true. But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for today’s adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
46．The text is mainly about___________.
A．the price of cigarettes B．the rate of teen smoking
C．the differences in tobacco tax rate D．the effect of tobacco tax increase
47．What does the author think is a surprise?
A．Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.
B．Teen smokers are price sensitive.
C．Tobacco taxes improve public health.
D．Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.
48．The underlined word "deter" in Paragraph 3 most probably means .
A．benefit B．remove C．discourage D．free
49．Rogers’ attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of .
A．tolerance B．sympathy C．doubt D．unconcern
50．What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.
B．Low-income Americans are more likely to fall ill.
C．Future generations will be hooked on smoking.
D．Adults will depend more on their families.
B
In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decade has seen more and more forests disappearing and the globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decade. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油)， which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from the traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of a growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.
51．The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that ______ .
A．it makes the world warmer B．it makes growth hard to continue
C．it brings severe damage to forests D．it consumes natural resources
52．What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A．High-speed trains are a low-carbon development.
B．China is the leader of the low-carbon market.
C．China lacks wind and solar energy.
D．Palm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests.
53．To fully develop the low-carbon markets, government can ______ .
A．cut public expenses B．encourage energy conservation
C．develop public resources D．forbid carbon emission
54．We can learn from the last paragraph that businesses have many chances to ______ .
A．make full use of natural resources B．explore new natural resources
C．develop sustainable products D．deal with the major challenge
55．What is the main purpose of the passage ?
A．To introduce a new business model. B．To advocate sustainable development.
C．To predict a change of the global market. D．To compare two business models.
C
Psychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity (成熟) can be an asset（资产） in child rearing --- older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, “end up retiring much later.” For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.
Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he's also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young. Lately he's been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy.“My body is aging,”says Metcalf.“You can't get away from that.”
Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at.“They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school,”says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one:“that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child,”she says.
Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility (受孕) treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband Randy, had twins.“We both wanted children,”says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years,“a sense of family.”
Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives.“The dads are older, more mature,”says Dr. Silber,“and more ready to focus on parenting.”
56．Why do psychiatrists regard maturity as an asset in child rearing?
A．Older parents can better balance their resources against children's demands.
B．Older parents can take better care of their children.
C．Older parents are often better prepared financially.
D．Older parents are usually more experienced in bringing up their children.
57．What does the author mean by saying "For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream" in
paragraph 1?
A．They can't obtain the retirement benefits they have dreamed of.
B．They can't get full pension unless they work some extra years.
C．They have to go on working beyond their retirement age.
D．They are reluctant to retire when they reach their retirement age.
58．The author gives the example of Henry Metcalf to show that ____________.
A．many people are young in spirit despite their advanced age
B．taking afternoon naps is a good way to maintain energy
C．older parents should exercise more to keep up with their athletic children
D．older parents tend to be concerned about their aging bodies
59．What's the biggest fear of older parents according to New York psychologist Joann Galst?
A．Being laughed at by other people. B．Being mistaken for grandparents.
C．Slowing down of their pace of life. D．Approaching of death.
60．What do we learn about Marilyn and Randy Nolen?
A．Not until they had the twins did they feel they had formed a family.
B．They thought they were an example of successful fertility treatment.
C．They believed that children born of older parents would be smarter.
D．Not until they reached middle age did they think of having children.
46—50 D A C B A 51-55 D A B C B 56—60 B C D D A
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