高中英语Theme parks 同步练习(五)人教版必修四

Theme parks 同步练习(五)阅读理解AAmericans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life;: death and taxes. Many people feel that the United States has the worst taxes in the world.Taxes are the money that people pay to support their government. There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal, state, and city; therefore, there are three types of taxes.Salaried people who earn more than four to five thousand per year must pay a certain part of their salaries to the federal government. The percentage varies for different people. It depends on the salaries. The federal government has a two-level income tax: that is, 15 or 28 percent. $ 17,850 is the cut off. The tax rate is 15 percent below $ 17,850 and 28 percent above.The second tax is for the state government. New York, California, or any of the other forty-eight states. Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower. Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item which people buy in the state. Some states use income tax and sales tax to raise their revenues(总收入).The third tax is for the city. This tax comes in two forms: property tax ( residents who own a home have to pay taxes on it) and excise tax, which is collected on vehicles in a city. The cities use this money for education, police, public works, etc.Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. People always complain about taxes. They often say that the government misuses their tax dollars. They all believe that taxes are too high in this country.1. In the United States, taxes are collected to provide revenues for_.A. the federal governmentB. the state governmentC. the city governmentD. the three levels of government2. How much money does an American earning $ 40,000 per year pay to the federal government as income tax according to the passage?A. 28% of this income.B. 15% of this income.C. $17,850.D. $ 5,000.3. What happens to buyers when a sales tax is collected?A. They have to pay more than what the item costs.B. They can pay less than what the item costs.C. They have to pay exactly what the item costs.D. They will all give up buying the item.4. What tax does an American have to pay to the city if he owns a car?A. Property tax.B. Excise tax.C. Income tax.D. Sales tax.5. After reading the passage, we might feel that Americans seem to be_.A. satisfied with their taxesB. proud of their taxesC. unhappy about their taxesD. very angry at their taxesBWash every clay and you 11 die young, my son! People often said those words; long ago, of course. Napoleons wife had new clothes every month, instead of a bath. (Its quicker, she always said.) Rich people did not often have a bath. They washed their hands and faces, but not their bodies. Many poor people did not wash at all. A young man once said to a doctor, Soap and water have never touched my body. (And the doctor answered, That s true. I know.)Why didnt people wash in those days long ago?Well, they did not have water in their houses. They carried water from rivers or from holes in the ground. Towns people bought it from a water-carrier. Sometimes it was expensive; and soap was always expensive. They drank water, of course; and so they were clean inside. They did not think about the outside! And this is true; they just did not like a bath.Modem life is different. We use a lot of soap and water. And we are all quite clean. However, a few people use too much soap; and they often get ill. Who are these people?Many young women work as hairdressers. They wash and then dress other women s hair. That is their job, and they like it. Young hairdressers sometimes wash dirty heads on a busy day! Their hands are soapy for seven or eight hours; and that is not a good thing. A young hairdresser s hands are often red and ugly; and she must then go to a doctor.6. Long ago, people_.A. often died youngB. did not often have a bathC. washed every dayD. washed every day and died young7. The doctor answered that_.A. he knew the young man was dirtyB. it was true that the young man was illC. soap and water were not good for his illnessD. he knew the young man never washed his body8. People didnt wash in those days becauseA. they had no water in their housesB. they had to buy water from a water-carrier and it was expensiveC. soap was expensive, tooD. all of the above9. People in those days_.A. didnt think about the outside of their housesB. only thought about the inside of their housesC. didnt like to wash their bodies at allD. only liked to wash their hands and faces10. Who are the people that use too much soap in modern life?_A. Hairdressers.B. Many young women.C. People whose hands are red and ugly.D. People whose hands are soapy.CEARTH WEEKA DIARY OF THE PLANETEnduring StormsSeveral more rounds of severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as bad weather continued across the US for a second month.Monsoon StormsA south-west monsoon has caused havoc in parts of Sri Lanka. Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoonal winds blew directly across the country from the Southern Hemisphere at about 100 km/h, producing several rounds of stormy weather. Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.Mt. Etna EruptsSicilys Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting bombs of lava nearly 1.5 metres in diameter on the eastern side of the mountain. The 30-minute eruption could be seen for several miles, but did not threaten any nearby villages.HurricaneHurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico. Blas formed off southwest Mexico during the previous week, but squalls on the outer fringes of the storm lashed western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home collapsed.Monkey RepellentAfter years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop-eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys. Animal raids on crops were successfully prevented by shooting chilli powder into the air, irritating the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully-placed warning sensors. Weve tried.all kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are smart enough to outwit the tricks, said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.11. The monsoon in Sri Lanka_.A. was of average strengthB. destroyed more property than previous monsoonsC. was not typical for that time of the yearD. affected only the outer areas of the nation12. What aspect of Hurricane Blas does the map show?A. Height.B. Strength.C. Speed.D. Direction.13. According to the information, which of the following statements is TRUE?A. The eruption of Mt. Etna lasted thirty days.B. Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.C. The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 1998.D. The eruption of Mt. Etna did not destroy local villages.14. According to the information, the monkeys in the Japanese fields_.A. destroy cropsB. kill unsuspecting humansC. spread eye diseases to humansD. stop farmers from working15. Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station, would describe the monkeys asA. cleverB. happyC. harmlessD. affectionateDAustralia, the last continent, was discovered by ships belonging to some European nations in the seventeenth century, these nations were less interested in changing it into a colony(殖民地) than in exploring(勘探) it. As in the early history of the United States, it was the English who set up the settlements (新拓展地 ) in Australia. This history and the geography of these two British colonies have some other things in common as well.Australia and the United States are about the same in size, and their western lands are both not rich in soil. It was the eastern coast of Australia and America that the English first settled, and both colonies soon began to develop towards the west. However, this westward movement took place more because the English were searching for better land than because the population was increasing. Settlements of the western part of both countries developed quickly after gold was discovered in America in 1849 and in Australia two years later.Although the development of these two countries has a lot in common, these are some striking differences as well. The United States gained its independence from England by revolution while Australia won its independence without having to go to war. Australia, unlike the United States, was firstly turned into a colony by English prisoners and its economic development was in wheat growing and sheep raising. By 1922, for example, Australia had fifteen times more sheep than it had people, or almost half as many sheep as the people there in the United States. Yet, in spite of these and other main differences, Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world.16. Who turned Australia into a colony?A. Britain.B. Several European countries.C. The United States of America.D. None of the above.17. In the early history of America and Australia, both colonies developed towards the west firstly for the reason that_.A. the population was increasing rapidly in the eastB. the English thought there might be richer land thereC