阅读理解It''s very interesting to note where the debate about diversity (多样化) is taking place. It in taking place primarily in political circles. Here at the College Fund, we have a lot of contact with top corporate (公司的) leaders; none of them is talking about getting rid of those instruments that produce diversity. In fact, they say that if their companies are to compete in the global village and in the global market place, diversity is an imperative. They also say that the need for talented, skilled Americans means we have to expand the pool of potential employees. And in locking at where birth rates are growing and at where the population is shifting, corporate America understands that expanding the pool means promoting policies that help provide skills to more minorities, more women and more immigrants. Corporate leaders know that if that doesn''t occur in our society, they will not have the engineers, the scientists, the lawyers, or the business managers they will need. Likewise, I don''t hear people in the academy saying. "Let''s go backward. Let''s go back to the good old days, when we had a meritocracy (不拘一格选人才)" ( which was never true -- we never had a meritocracy, although we''ve come closer to it in the last 30 years). I recently visited a great little college in New York where the campus has doubled its minority population in the last six years. I talked with an African American who has been a professor there for a long time, and she remembers that when she first joined the community, there were fewer than a handful of minorities on campus. Now, all of us feel the university is better because of the diversity. So where we hear this debate is primarily in political circles and in the media-not in corporate board rooms or on college campuses.

阅读理解Rugby has the reputation of being the roughest sports in the world. Outside the British isles, rugby is little known and, in fact, is often confused with soccer. But in England, an old sports saying serves to point out the differences between the two games: soccer is supposedly a gentlemen''s game played by ruffians, whereas rugby is a ruffian''s game played by gentlemen. The game begins with a kick-off from one end of a 100-yard field. The receiving ruggers, as a rugby team is called, attempt to move the ball down the field, the opposing team attempts to stop the man with the ball. The rules are quite simple. You cannot tackle anyone but the man who is carrying the ball, and once the ball carrier is tackled, he must give up the ball. Obviously, a good strategy for moving the ball downfield is to carry it as far as possible, then pass the ball before being tackled. If the ball carrier can travel the length of the field, his team is awarded four points, and another two points are won by kicking the ball over the goalpost after the score. Penalties are equally simple, tackling a player who is not carrying the ball carries a ten yard penalty. Much of rugby''s reputation for roughness stems from the fact that the players wear no pads. To Americans accustomed to seeing professional football players in suits and helmets like armor, a rugby player''s uniform seems suicidally simple. Most ruggers wear a very thick jersey, heavy gymnasium shorts, heavy socks, rugby shoes, and a mouthpiece. Ruggers use other equipment or pads only when an injury requires protection. But even with this minimal equipment, the game is apparently not as brutal as it might seem. The players are quite satisfied with the lack of padding and helmets and actually think the game might be too rough if players used more equipment. " Human nature is not to hit as hard if no one is wearing pads," one rugger explains. Rugby games are played in two halves, each lasting forty minutes. Teams always meet to play two games consecutively, back-to-back. Again, playing a demanding physical sport like rugby for more than 160 minutes seems like an impossible task, but the ruggers love this idea. " It gives everyone on the team a chance to get into the game," they say. Rugby is slowly catching on in America. The sport is gaining an enthusiastic following among college teams and in independent ruggy "unions" organized on the British model. It has all the appeal of football, but it is simpler and requires much less costly equipment. Rugby is ready to be rediscovered.

阅读理解Europeans work fewer hours, for more money, than ever before. What do they do with all that time off? In the cold, gray north they watch television: Denmark now has 386 sets for every 1000 people, Germany 385—40% more than in 1970. In sunny Spain they eat out; 14% of household spending, the largest share in the community, goes on restaurants, cafes and hotels——not counting alcoholic drinks. Europeans everywhere watch football. One European in there is interested in football, a quarter in tennis and getting more so. As long ago as 1980, the most recent year for which comparable figures exist, nine -tenths of Europe''s households had a refrigerator (except in Ireland and Portugal). Ownership of washing machines varied more; 87% of Dutch had one, but only 58% of Danes. Ownership of dishwashers was stuck at 3% in Britain in 1980, but rising fast in France: up from 13% in 1980 to 22% in 1985. In Holland 95% of households had a telephone in 1985 , in Italy only 72% . Above all, the newly rich Europeans go on holiday. In 1985, 56% of them went away at least once. As anyone who has tried to spread a towel on a Mediterranean beach in high summer can confirm, 34% of them took their main holidays in August and another 28% in July. For pease (if not sun) , try February or November, when only 1% of Europeans take their main holiday. One European in three took holidays abroad. These, not surprisingly, are mostly northerners. Half of Europe''s holidaymakers head for the seaside. But in Holland marginally more people prefer a holiday in the country-side to a week on the beach. So there are some differences left.

阅读理解According to Salthouse, their study may help us_____.

阅读理解Can money buy happiness? Yes, (47) the authors of a new study--but only up to a point. Psychology has shown that richer people generally rank the overall quality of their lives more (48) than poorer people do. At the same time, their actual happiness seems to be (49) less by their ability to buy more than by being able to keep up with those with comparable resources in their own age group. "Our findings point to the possibility that, rather than promoting overall happiness, continued income growth could (50) an ongoing consumption race where people have to consume more and more, just to maintain a (51) level of happiness," writes Glenn Firebaugh of Penn sylvania State University. The study was (52) at the American Sociological Association''s 100th Annual Meeting. Whether the rich are happier as a whole than their less (53) fellows is becoming an increasingly hot topic for debate. Recent years have (54) many writings on the "science of happiness." Richer people are happier because money can help purchase goods and services and it is the (55) of these materials that increases one''s enjoyment of life and one''s sense of well-being. Firebaugh and his colleagues measured the age, total family income, and general happiness of (56) aged 20 to 64, generally considered the working lifespan (工作寿命) for most Americans. Regardless of such standards as physical health, education, and marital status (婚姻状况), people''s happiness was affected by what others earned. The higher the income of others in one''s age group, the lower one''s happiness. WORD BANK A) constant I) automatic B) wealthy J) presented C) claim K) witnessed D) deny L) rejected E) motivated M) individuals F) consumption N) favorably G) consequently O) challenging H) implement

阅读理解All of us ought to be able to brace ourselves for the predictable challenges and set backs that crop up in our everyday life. If we (47) that life won''t be perfect, we will be able to avoid that (48) to quit. But even if you are strong enough to persist the obstacle course of life and work, sometimes you will encounter an adverse event that will (49) knock you on your back. A quick look at the history will tell you that history is full of example of men and women who (50) greatness despite facing hurdles. Moses was a stutterer, yet he was (51) on to be the voice of God and led the ancient Hebrews to the Graceland. Abraham Lincoln overcame a difficult childhood, depression, the death of two sons, and (52) ridicule during the Civil War to become our greatest president ever. Hellen Keller made an (53) on the world despite being deaf, dumb, and blind from an early age. There are (54) examples. These were people who not only looked adversity in the face but learned (55) lessons about overcoming difficult circumstances and were able to move ahead. Bearing all these examples in our mind, we can come to terms with any possible difficulties and (56) on to embrace the final victories. WORD BANK A) impact I) valuable B) called J) constant C) completely K) accurate D) hold L) achieved E) dropped M) impulse F) expect N) miracle G) pulse O) relatively H) endless

阅读理解Passage One California has been facing a drought for many years now, with certain areas even having to pump freshwater hundreds of miles to their distribution system

阅读理解Mobile phones What Are Mobile Phones? A mobile phone, also known as a cellphone or cellular phone, is a portable electronic device which behaves as a normal telephone whilst being able to move over a wide area (compare cordless phone which acts as a telephone only within a limited range). Cellphones allow connections to be made to the telephone network, normally by directly dialing the other party''s number on an inbuilt keypad. Most current cellphones use a combination of radio wave transmission and conventional telephone circuit switching, though packet switching is already in use for some parts of the cellphone network, especially for services such as Internet access and WAP. Some of the world''s largest cellphone manufacturers include Alcatel, Audiovox, Kyocera (formerly the handset division of Qualcomm), LG, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric), Philips, Sagem, Samsung, Sanyo, Siemens, SK Teletech, and Sony Ericsson. There are also specialist communication systems related to, but distinct from cellphones, such as satellite phones and Professional Mobile Radio. Worldwide Deployment Cellphones have a long arid varied history that stretches back to the 1950s, with hand held devices being available since 1983. Due to their low establishment costs and rapid deployment, cellphone networks have since spread rapidly throughout the world, outstrip ping the growth of fixed telephony. In most of Europe, wealthier parts of Asia, Australia, and the US, cellphones are now widely used, with the majority of the adult, teenage, and even child population owning one. The number of cell phone subscribers in the US has reached over 190 million. The availability of Prepaid or pay as you go services, where the subscriber does not have to commit to a long term contract, has helped fuel this growth. Standardized Technology The cellphone has become ubiquitous because of the interoperability of cellphones across different networks 4nd countries. This is due to the equipment manufacturers all working to the same standard, particularly the GSM standard which was designed for Europe-wide interoperability. All European nations and some Asian nations chose it as their sole standard, while in Japan and South Korea another standard, CDMA, was select ed. Cellphone Culture In less than twenty years, mobile phones have gone from being rare and expensive pieces of equipment used by businesses to a pervasive low-cost personal item. In many countries, cellphones now outnumber land line telephones, with most adults and many children now owning cellphones. It is not uncommon for young adults to simply own a cell phone instead of a land-line for their residence. In some developing countries, where there is little existing fixed-line infrastructure, the mobile phone has become widespread. Social Life With high levels of mobile telephone penetration, a mobile culture has evolved, where the phone becomes a key social tool, and people rely on their cellphone addressbook to keep in touch with their friends. Many people keep in touch using SMS, and a whole culture of "texting" has developed from this. The commercial market in SMS''s is growing. Many phones even offer Instant Messenger services to increase the simplicity and ease of texting on phones. Entertainment The mobile phone itself has also become a totemic and fashion object, with users deco rating, customizing, and accessorizing their cellphones to reflect their personality. Like wise, customized ringtones have been developed. Etiquette Cellphone etiquette has become an important issue with mobiles ringing at funerals, weddings, movies and plays. Users often speak at increased volume, with little regard for others nearby people. It has become common practice for places like libraries and movie theatres to ban the use of cell phones, sometimes even installing jamming equipment to prevent them. Media Cameraphones and videophones that can capture video and take photographs are increasingly being used to cover breaking news. Stories like the London Bombings, the Boxing Day Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina have been reported on by cameraphone users on news sites like NowPublic and photosharing sites like Flickr. Cellphone Features Cellphones are often packed with features that offer users far more than just the capability to send text messages and make voice calls. These may include internet browsing, music (MP3)playback, personal organizers, email, watch/alarm, built-in cameras, ring tones, security measures (e. g. pin codes), SIM blocks, games, radio, push to talk, infra red and blue-tooth connectivity, and call registers. Network Features Though cellphones vary significantly from provider to provider, and even nation to nation (most noticeably in North America), all cellphones must generally accomplish tile same tasks regardless. Cellphones must be connected to the system of land-line phones. Cellphones must also be able to connect with each other just as easily, even if the two phones are not from the same mobile service provider. Consequently, all cellphone systems are comprised of two components; the handset, and the tower. The handset is the portable, referred to as the mobile phone, cellphone or a smartphone. The tower is a high-yield radio tower that the cellphones direct their radio communications to in order to connect to the network of telecommunications. It could also be a network of satellites. Network Working Process The Handset Handsets feature a low power transceiver that is typically designed to transmit voice and data, or analog audio only, up to a few kilometers under ideal situations to where the tower is located. The handset listens for an available tower. Once found, the handset in forms that tower of its own unique identifier, and alerts the cellphone network that it is ready and standing-by to receive telephone calls. It then periodically repeats this information to the tower, and seeks out new towers over the duration it is powered on. The Tower Towers are large structures that feature a series of high power radio transmitters de signed to broadcast their presence and availability, and relay communications to the mobile handsets. The tower features a much higher -powered radio transceiver array that allows it to provide a radio communications dialog with handsets dozens of kilometers away. The tower is connected to the landline telephone infrastructure by a high-capacity phone line, and may also be connected to a dedicated data line. The tower can then route calls between the mobile handsets it''s serving, and telephone calls over the landline. Because the tower tracks and relays what mobile handsets it is servicing, it can inform the mobile network provider so that at any given time a call to a cellphone can quickly be traced to the :tower that is servicing that handset. The Data Stream Most cellphones dialog between the handset and the tower is comprised of a data stream of digitized audio. The technology driving this process can vary, and in nations with no standard or preference (such as the United States), many incompatible technologies exist. Not only do transmission standards potentially differ, but so do the radio frequencies. Some technologies include AMPS for analog, and TDMA, CDMA and GSM for digital communications. Though nations like the USA have generally avoided official standardization, most nations of the world have agreed upon the GSM data transmission protocol for cellphones, and a small range of possible frequencies that cellphones may operate on. Phones are classified based on the technology they use and the features they have.

阅读理解Not many of the elements occur in nature as pure substances, lying around waiting for someone to pick them up. A few do, and it is not surprising that these were known and collected for various uses in societies around the globe as far back as several thousand years B. C. Sulfur is one of those elements. It was known to burn with smelly results and have an odd appearance. Its use was probably confined to religious ceremonies. Carbon was also known since antiquity, because the charred (烧焦的) bones of animals and portions of partially burned trees consist largely of carbon in the form of charcoal. Although we don''t know all the uses primitive peoples made of charcoal, we do know that it was the key to releasing many other elements from their chemical combination in rocks. For example, if a copper-containing rock was heated in a hot fire with charcoal present, the carbon in the charcoal would combine with the other elements in the rock, leaving free metallic copper. In ways like this people were able to discover the elements copper, iron, lead, tin, and zinc, although they didn''t necessarily appreciate that these substances were elementary. They just knew that they were useful. Iron also arrived occasionally from the heavens in the form of iron-containing meteorites (陨石). Because of this, one might think that iron would have been thought of as a "heavenly" element, a gift from the gods. Instead, this honor has always fallen to the element gold. Gold doesn''t fall from the skies, but it is found in its pure state in some places. It has the unusual property of never tarnishing (锈蚀) like other metals do. Gold objects don''t rust, as iron does, nor do they turn green or black on the surface as do many other metals. The ancient Egyptians used gold for jewelry and for coins. Gold is still used for jewelry, although pure gold is too soft for this purpose. Coins and jewelry, instead, are made of alloys. These are metals made by melting two or more metals in a pot together in such a way that they dissolve in one another. Gold coins are usually 90 per cent copper. An alloy of gold and silver is called white gold.

阅读理解What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

阅读理解As if you needed another reason to hate the gym, it now turns out that exercise can exhaust not only your muscles, but also your eyes

阅读理解What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

阅读理解When successful corporate executives are asked how they got where they are, a common answer is, "I was lucky — I was in the right place at the right time" or, "I was working with someone who took me under his wing". No question, luck always plays a role. But "fortune favors the prepared mind". Corporate climbers most likely to succeed make the best use of their brains and personality. For most of the 20th century, intelligence meant IQ, measured by tests that focused on memory, logic, and analysis. However, the work of some psychologists describes other kinds of intelligence. Goleman popularized the concept of emotional intelligence as having to do with self-control, self understanding and empathy. Sternberg contrasted analytic intelligence with practical intelligence or street smarts and creative intelligence which includes imagination and aesthetic sensibility. Analytic intelligence — the kind that gets you high scores on the SAT or graduate record exam — used to be the major ticket to higher education and the academic credentials essential to getting hired and moving up in a company. Of course, street smarts were always useful for knowing who to trust and whom to follow. But as companies put a higher value on teamwork and customer relationships, interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence become more important. As the market demands continual innovation, creative intelligence — imagination and design capability — makes a difference. Besides, you need to have the brains that make you an effective leader: strategic intelligence. Strategic intelligence combines aspects of analytic, practical and creative intelligence. It includes the ability to see future trends, the ability of systems drinking, to view parts in relation to the whole, focusing on how parts interact and evaluating them in relation to how well they serve the system''s purpose, the ability to design an organization as a social system, and the ability to motivate people to power that organization. Strategic intelligence, especially systems thinking, is in much shorter supply than the other kinds of intelligence. Good leadership today requires all of these intellectual capabilities. But it is one thing to know what''s right, it''s another to take risks or do what is right even when there is no guarantee of success.

阅读理解In many ways, though, definition of such skills is quite unnecessary for an analysis of policing. It is really most unlikely that the average police officer will ever in his career perform or even witness those detective skills that he has enjoyed in countless TV productions. The reason for this is simply that the vast majority of crimes are usually either very likely to be solved by routine investigation or they are very unlikely to be solved at all. Fortunately, the clear-up rate for serious crimes tends to be very high. Zander (1979) has shown why. In his study of old bailey cases, the identity of the defendant(被告) seems to have been reasonably clear in 87% of cases. Morgan (1980 and ongoing) has shown that well over 92% of crimes known to the police are discovered by the public who provide the majority of decisive information. In Morgan''s study, crimes that were "solved" contained in their crime files over twice the amount of qualitative information as crimes that were not "solved". The various bits of information in the crime files were each rated by experienced police investigators on a Likert scale of value in terms of probability of detection, "solving" of the crime. In this, where information was. provided by the public during a police interview, the information was believed to the police "since it was felt that in an interview genuine police skills are involved in the collection of information." Evidently this method can be justified thus, but will necessarily overestimate the police role. Nevertheless, in this analysis of crime files it was shown that in cases where crimes were solved, the public still provided nearly twice the amount of information as the police.

阅读理解What Dictionaries Are For One of the chief supports of any language ''researcher'' is the dictionary. Many students understand this and, as a result, buy themselves bilingual dictionaries or electronic translators because they hope that they will find an instantly usable translation of a word they know in their language. Many bilingual dictionaries fail to give sufficient information about grammatical context, appropriacy, and connotation. This does not mean that all bilingual dictionaries are bad or that students should never use them. There are some excellent examples available now and whether we like it or not, students will always use them, especially at lower levels. Monolingual dictionary (MLD) What we can do is show them something different which is just as good — and in many ways better: the monolingual dictionary (MLD). MLDs, whether in book form, on CD or available on the Internet, are those written in only one language (in this case English). Although most ''general'' dictionaries are, of course, monolingual in this sense, the acronym (缩写词) tends to be used to describe dictionaries written especially for language learners, and that is the sense in which we use here. Current examples include the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, the Cambridge International Dictionary of English, the Oxford Advanced Learner''s Dictionary, and the COBUILD Dictionary. In them users will find information such as the different meanings that words have, how they are pronounced, what other words they collocate with, and when they can be used. They also give examples of the words in phrases and sentences so that students get a very good idea of how they themselves can use this word. One of the more important features of many of the current generation of MLDs is that their definitions are written in a language which is itself simplified, thus avoiding the possibility that the definition is more difficult to understand than the words itself: it makes a lot more sense to say that a dog is very common animal that people keep as a pet or to guard a building (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) than that it is canine quadruped! Students as beginner level will usually find MLDs too difficult to use because the language in the definitions will be way above their heads however careful the lexicographers (词典编撰者) have been. Such people may well rely on their bilingual dictionary. But from somewhere around the intermediate level, students will find the information that MLDs contain invaluable, as we shall see in the following examples in this section. Reference Dictionaries Reference dictionaries—the kind that we most frequently use—need to be distinguished from production dictionaries, a type of dictionary which has emerged comparatively recently. A reference dictionary is one where a student looks up a word to see what meanings it has, how it is used, and they way it is spelt and pronounced. Dictionaries are generally used when students have already come across a word and then look it up to check that they know how to use it. Sometimes they will find a word in their bilingual dictionaries and then check with the MLD to see if they have understood correctly. Production Dictionaries Production dictionaries, on the other hand, are designed for students to use the other way round, starting with a meaning they wish to express and in order to look for the word that expresses it. Suppose, for example, that they wish to express the idea of someone secretly listening to someone else while standing near him, perhaps on other side of a door. A native speaker would immediately choose the word eavesdrop to describe the situation. The foreign student might find this in a bilingual dictionary, but would have more trouble with a reference MID since, not knowing the word in the first place, he or she would not, of course, be able to look it up. In a production dictionary, students look for a general word that they already know, and which is a bit like the concept they wish to be able to express in English. In the case of eavesdrop, for example, that word might be listen. Training students to use dictionary If we want students to use dictionaries, it will probably not be sufficient just to recommend a dictionary and tell them how useful it is. Even though huge improvements have been made in dictionary design over the last few years, and even though there are now a number of Internet, CD-ROMS, and DVD-based dictionaries—still the wealth of information can be extremely confusing to some users. Indeed the frequently dense design of some dictionaries may be enough to put them off altogether. In order to avoid this problem, many teachers and materials designers put dictionary training into lesson sequences, so that students will see how to use them and what the benefits of such use are. Thus we can make sure, for example, that students recognize the metaphorical (比喻性的)meanings that are given, and that they identify typical lexical phrases which the word they are looking for occurs in and which good dictionaries list clearly.

阅读理解Brazil has become one of the developing world''s great successes at reducing population growth --but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard. Brazil''s population growth rate has dropped from 2.99 % a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93 % a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries. Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (通俗电视连续剧) and installment (分期付款)plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world''s biggest producers of soap operas. Globe, Brazil''s most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities. "Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values -- not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package." Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction," says Martine.

阅读理解He''s the most famous man Americans don''t know: one of the world''s highest-paid athletes, a fashion pacemaker married to a glamorous pop star, an idol of teens and mothers alike. It has taken a movie in which he doesn''t even appear (except in archive footage) for English soccer star David Beckham to score in the USA. While Bend It Like Beckham might now be filling theaters across the country, before it was released there was talk of changing the title for fear filmgoers wouldn''t understand it. If David Beckham is relatively unknown in the USA, he is indisputably among the most recognized sports figures elsewhere in the world, where soccer is the real king of sports. In a way no other athlete has, Beckham, combines sport, celebrity, entertainment and style to achieve a global span of popularity, says Ellis Cashmore, professor of culture, media and sport at Staffordshire University. "Tiger Woods? Michael Jordan? They redefined their sport, and they are respected. But Beckham is more than that. He is worshiped. His fan base goes far beyond sports; many of them don''t even care about football." Cashmore says. For most Americans, Bend It Like Beckham is their first introduction to him. In the movie, Jess, a high school girl, dreams of playing football like Beckham. Beckham, however, was "delighted" by the movie''s support for women''s soccer — a growing but still nascent sport in Britain, and approved of the use of his name in the title, agent Tony Stephens says. Beckham is known for his brilliant free kicks and precision crossing. For his unique ability, Manchester United, Britain''s premier soccer club, has paid Beckham some ￡ 15 million (more than $22 million) to wear its red shirt for three years. But Beckham''s contract is peanuts compared to what he rakes in from advertisements. It is estimated that Beckham takes home as much as ￡ 12 million ($18 million) a year from his contracts with Adidas and Pepsi, among others. The Times of London put him on its 2003 "Rich List" and declared him worth ￡ 50 million ($80 million). He makes more money than the queen does. But other athletes still do better than Beckham does. According to a July 2002 issue of Forbes magazine, Woods had made $69 million in golf prize money and contracts during the previous 12 months, and auto racer Michael Schumacher $67 million.

阅读理解Passage One Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage. The Urbanization — migration away from the suburbs to the city center — will be the biggest real estate trend in 2015, according to a new report. The report says America’s urbanization will continue to be the most significant issue affecting the industry, as cities across the country imitate the walkability and transit-oriented development making cities like New York and San Francisco so successful. As smaller cities copy the model of these “24-hour cities”，tfiore affordable versions of these places will be created. The report refers to this as the coming of the “18-hour city，”，and uses the term to refer to cities like Houston, Austin, Charlotte, and Nashville, which are “positioning themselves as highly competitive, in terms of livability, employment offerings, and recreational and cultural facilities.” Another trend that looks significant in 2015 is that America’s largest population group, Millennials (千禧一代)，will continue to put off buying a house. Apartments will retain their appeal for a while for Millennials, haunted by what happened to home-owning parents. This trend will continue into the 2020s, the report projects. After that, survey respondents disagree over whether this generation will follow in their parents，footsteps, moving to the suburbs to raise families, or will choose to remain in the city center. Another issue affecting real estate in the coming year will be America’s failing infrastructure. Most roads, bridges, transit, water systems, the electric grid, and communications networks were installed 50 to 100 years ago, and they are largely taken for granted until they fail. The report’s writers state that America’s failure to invest in infrastructure impacts not only the health of the real-estate market, but also our ability to remain globally competitive. Apart from the specific trends highlighted above, which cause some investors to worry, the report portrays an overall optimism borne by the recent healthy real-estate “upcycle” and improving economy. Seventy-four percent of the respondents surveyed report a “good to excellent” expectation of real-estate profitability in 2015. While excessive optimism can promote bad investment patterns, resulting in a real- estate “bubble”， the report’s writers downplay that potential outcome in that it has not yet occurred. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

阅读理解What is the author's advice to leaders?

阅读理解December 25 is celebrated as the birthday of Christ. No one is certain why this day was chosen. It was chosen probably because, according to the calendar then in use, December 25 was the time of the year when winter days begin to grow longer in the Northern Hemisphere. The sun-worshippers had celebrated this day as the promise of spring. Over the years, a number of special customs associated with Christmas have grown up. Many of these have been introduced from Europe, while others have their origin in America. Christmas music is loved by all who hear and sing it every year. Christmas songs, bells, and merry music have been a part of Christmas for centuries. The Christmas tree is the symbol of the spirit of Christmas in many homes. Trees were not used in English homes until a German prince married Queen Victoria. The prince had the first decorated Christmas tree set up at Windsor Castle in 1841. The first Christmas trees in the New World were introduced by Hessian soldiers in 1776, during the Revolutionary War. Later German immigrants brought the tradition into wider use in the United States. The custom of decorating a community tree for outdoor display began in the early 1900''s and is a favourite custom all over America today. Since 1933, Rockerfeller Plaza, in New York City, has put up a giant tree, beautifully decorated with lights. The trees are about 30 meters tall. Some 7,000 colored lights have been used to light them. Each year at Washington, D. C. , there is a national tree lighting ceremony. The President of the United States pulls the switch that lights the brightly decorated new community Christmas tree on the White House lawn. Some families open their presents on Christmas Eve; others wait for the next morning. Some boys'' and girls'' presents are placed in stockings and hung at the foot of their beds; others find their gifts under the Christmas tree. Greeting cards began in England. One of the first artists to design and send a Christmas card in 1843 was John C. Horsley. The cards were printed in black and white and colored by hand. About 1000 of them were sold in London that year. At about the same time, another English artist, William Egley, designed a card and had it printed. He sent it to his friend with the now familiar message "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year". A German immigrant, Louis Prang, designed and sold colored Christmas cards in 1874. In less than 10 years his shop was turning out 5 ,000,000 cards a year. Today greeting cards have become a big industry and billions of cards are sent all over the world every Christmas. Whatever language the greetings are written in, the message is the same— a wish for peace and goodwill among all people.