If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he’d better offer you more money to do so — or even double that depending on where you live now. That’s because Moscow has just been found to be the world’s most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.

Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment (娛樂).

A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger (漢堡包) is a steal at $480.

London takes the No. 2 place, up from No. 5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates (估算) London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No. 5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.

Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world’s most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year’s study — New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.

Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada’s most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide.

72. What do the underlined words “a steal” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. an act of stealing                               B. something delicious

C. something very cheap                       D. an act of buying

73. London has become the second most expensive city because of _________

A. the high cost of clothing                            B. the stronger pound against the dollar

C. its expensive transportation                      D. the high prices of fast food meals

74. Which city is the third most expensive on the list?

A. Tokyo.                    B. Hong Kong.           C. Moscow.               D. Sydney.

75. Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?

A. New York.       B. Los Angeles.                C. San Francisco.             D. Toronto.

     Edward Wilson is America’s, if not the world’s, leading naturalist. In The Future of Life, he takes us on a tour of the world’s natural resources(資源). How are they used? What has been lost? What remains and is it able to continue with the present speed of use? Wilson also points out the need to understand fully the biodiversity(生物多樣性)of our earth.

     Wilson begins with an open letter to the pioneer in environment (環(huán)境) protection, Henry David Thoreau. He compares today’s Walden Pond with that of Thoreau’s day. Wilson will use such comparisons for the rest of the book. The problem is clear: man has done great damage to his home over the years. Can the earth, with human help, be made to return to biodiversity levels that will be able to support us in the future?

 Biodiversity, Wilson argues, is the key to settling many problems the earth faces today. Even our agricultural crops can gain advantages from it. A mere hundred species(物種) are the basis of our food supply, of which but twenty carry the load. Wilson suggests changing this situation by looking into ten thousand species that could be made use of, which will be a way to reduce the clearing of the natural homes of, plants and animals to enlarge farming areas.

 At the end of the book, Wilson discusses the importance of human values in considering the environment. If you are to continue to live on the earth, you may well read and act on the ideas in this book.

68. We learn form the text that Wilson cares most about ______

A. the environment for plants                         B. the biodiversity of our earth

C. the wastes of natural resources                D. the importance of human values

69. How many species are most important to our present food supply?

A. Twenty.                B. Eighty.                 C. One hundred     D. Ten thousand.

70. Wilson suggests that one way to keep biodiversity is to _______.

A. learn how to farm scientifically           B. build homes for some dying species

C. make it clear what to eat                           D. use more species for food

71. We can infer that the text is _______

A. a description of natural resources             B. a research report

C. a book review                                           D. an introduction to a scientist.

Attractions in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Historical Museum

30 N. Carroll Street on Madison’s Capitol Square

Discover Wisconsin’s history and culture(文化) on four floors of exhibits. Open for public program. Admission is free.

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00am -- 4:00 pm.

(608) 264-6555  www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum

Swiss historical village

612 Seventh Ave., New Glarus

The Swiss Historical Village offers a delightful look at pioneer life in America’s heartland. 14 buildings in the village give a full picture of every day life in the nineteenth-century Midwest.

Tue.—Fri., May 1^st –October 31^st , 10:00 am—4:00 pm. Admission is $20.

(608) 527-2317  www.swisshistoricalvillage.com

Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café

6858 Paoli Rd., Paoli, WI

One of the largest collections of fine arts and crafts(手工藝品) in Wisconsin. Over 5000 sq. ft. of exhibition space in a historic creamery (乳品廠). While visiting , enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch at our café overlooking the Sugar River. Just minutes from Madison!

   Gallery open Tue. –Sun., 10:00 am—5:00 pm.

   Café open Wed. –Sat., 11:00 am –3:00 pm.

   Sun. brunch with wine, 10:00—3:00 pm.

   (608) 845-6600  www.artisangal.com

Christopher Columbus Museum

239 Whitney St., Columbus

World-class exhibit –2000 quality souvenirs(紀念品) marking Chicago’s 1893 World Columbian Exhibition. Tour buses are always welcome.

Open daily, 8:15 am – 4:00 pm.

(920) 623-1992  www.columbusantiquemall.com

64.Which of the following is on Capitol Square?

   A. Wisconsin Historical Museum.              B. Swiss Historical Village.

   C. Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café.                 D. Christopher Columbus Museum.

65. Where can you go for a visit on Monday?

   A. Wisconsin Historical Museum.                            B. Swiss Historical Village.

   C. Artisan Gallery & Creamery café.                D. Christopher Columbus Museum.

66. Where can visitors have lunch?

   A. At Wisconsin Historical Museum.                 B. At Swiss Historical Village.

   C. At Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café.                  D. At Christopher Columbus Museum.

67. We learn from the text that___________.

   A. Swiss Historical Village is open for half a year

   B. Christopher Columbus Museum overlooks a river

   C. tickets are needed for Wisconsin Historical Museum

   D. Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café are open daily for 4 hours

For a while, my neighborhood was taken ever by an army of joggers(慢跑者). They were there all the time: early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You’ll feel great.”

     Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army, I’m not alone in my opinion.

     First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet had a real pounding（追擊）running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn’t kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.

     Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn’t my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts.” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.

     And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn’t just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn’t fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?

     I don’t jog any more, and I don’t think I ever will. I’m walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I’m getting exercise, and I’m enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I’ve found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.

60. From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer’s neighborhood ______.

A. jogging became very popular                 B. people jogged only during the daytime

C. Alex organized an army of joggers           D. jogging provided a chance to get together

61. What was the writer’s attitude towards jogging in the beginning?

A. He felt it was worth a try.                            B. He was very fond of it.

C. He was strongly against it.                         D. He thought it must be painful.

62. Why did the writer give up jogging two months later?

A. He disliked doing exercise outside.           B. He found it neither healthy nor interesting.

C. He was afraid of having a heart attack.    D. He was worried about being left alone.

63. From the writer’s experience, we can conclude that______.

A. not everyone enjoys jogging   

B. he is the only person who hates jogging

C. nothing other than jogging can help people keep fit

D. jogging makes people feel greater than any other sport.

 ---Have you worked it out, Tom? What is your answer, please?

   ---Sorry, I ______ . Would you repeat that question?

A. don’t listen     B. wasn’t listening      C. hadn’t listened       D. haven’t listened

 ---I don’t think I can pass the English exam this time.

   ---______. It is much too difficult for us. 

A. Me too                B. Nor do I               C. Neither can I          D. So can I

 ---The CDs by the star ______ well.  

 ---That’s true. More than ten million copies have been sold out so far.  

A. are sold              B. sell                   C. sells                       D. is sold

 Where was it ______ the road accident happened the other day?

    A. that               B. when                   C. how              D. which

 With the exams drawing nearer and nearer, I really can’t ______ the time to go shopping with you this weekend. 

    A. offer              B. leave             C. afford             D. manage

 Every day lots of tourists take pictures in front of ____ was left of the building after the war. 

A. which                 B. that                   C. where              D. what