When tree leaves change colors, many American families for tours in the countryside.

All of the following are seen as a dramatic change in the countrys mood EXCEPT that

A．the majority of Americans think the country is being led astray.

B．more and more Americans are opposed to their country"s frequent involvement in world affairs.

C．the Bush administration"s approval rating hits an all-time low ever since 2001.

D．Most people look forward hopefully to the government led by Barack Obama.

When traveling in another country, many Americans bring water with them because ______.

A．they are not used to drinking local water

B．they assume that local water is not safe

C．they are more prone to water-borne diseases

D．their can easily fall ill if contacting with local germs

No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Distinguished dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However, the Post and the Times are net national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or LeMonde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed accounts of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or cite news.

Like the press .in most other countries, American newspapers range from the "sensational", which feature crime, sex and rumor, to the serious, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with television.

Just as American newspapers give way to all tastes, so do they also try and apply to readers for all political persuasions. (80)A few newspapers support extremist groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers attempt to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are essentially moderate. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.

As in other democratic countries American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once bravely uncovered political scandals (丑闻) or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair. The newspapers drew the attention of the public to the fears of the Vietnam War.

There are fewer national newspapers in ______

A．Britain than in the USA

B．France than in Britain

C．the USA than in Britain or France

D．France than in the USA or Britain

No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the U.S.A. There are almost 2000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Distinguished dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However the Post and the Times are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or Le Monde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed accounts of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or cite news.

Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the "sensational", which feature crime, sex and rumor, to the serious, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with television.

Just as American newspapers give way to all tastes, so do they also try and apply to readers for all political persuasions. A few newspapers support extremist(过激分子) groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers attempt to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are essentially moderate. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.

As in other democratic countries American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once bravely uncovered political scandals(丑闻) or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair. The newspapers drew the attention of the public to the fears of the Vietnam War.

There are fewer national newspapers in______.

A．Britain than in the U.S.A.

B．France than in Britain

C．the U.S.A. than in Britain or France

D．France than in the U.S.A. or Britain

听力原文： In this lesson, I want to talk about the history of The White House. At first, most Americans didn't think there was anything particularly special about the White House. Few had ever seen it or had any idea what it looked like, and even the families who lived there found it completely inadequate. When it was built, the White House was the largest house in the country and it remained so until after the Civil War. But it served so many different purposes that little of it was available for the First Family to actually live in. The first floor, or "State Floor" was made up entirely of public rooms; and the president's offices, which where staffed by as many as 30 employees, took half of the second floor up. The First Family had to get by with the eight or fewer second-floor rooms that were left. By Lincoln's time, the situation was intolerable. The White House was open to visitors; office seekers, and the merely curious had no difficulty making their way upstairs from the official rooms on the first floor. Lincoln was so uncomfortable with the situation that he had a private corridor constructed. He also received a $ 20, 000 appropriation to improve the furnishings of the White House. The new furnishings did not last for more than a few years. When Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, the White House fell into disarray. No one really supervised the White House during' the first five weeks.

(30)

A．They didn't care.

B．They hated it.

C．They loved it.

D．They have mixed feelings.

These days lots of young Japanese do omiai, literally, "meet and look. " Many of them do so willingly. In today's prosperous and increasingly conservative Japan, the traditional omiai kekkon , or arranged marriage, is thriving.

But there is a difference. In the original omiai, the young Japanese couldn't reject the partner chosen by his parents and their middlernan. After World War II, many Japanese abandoned the arranged marriage as part of their rush to adopt the more democratic ways of their American conquerors. The Western ren'ai kekkon , or love marriage, became popular; Japanese began picking their own mates by dating and falling in love.

But the Western way was often found wanting in an important respect: it didn't necessarily produce a partner of the right economic, social, and educational qualifications. "Today's young people are quite calculating," says Chieko Akiyama, a social commentator.

What seems to be happening now is a repetition of a familiar process in the country's history, the "Japanization" of an adopted foreign practice. The Western ideal of marrying for love is accommodated in a new orniai in which both parties are free to reject the match. "Omiai is evolving into a sort of stylized introduction," Mrs. Akiyama says.

Many young Japanese now date in their early twenties, but with no thought of marriage. When they reach the age—in the middle twenties for women, the late twenties for men—they increasingly turn to omiai. Some studies suggest that as many as 40% of marriages each year are omiai kekkon. It's hard to be sure, say those who study the matter, because many Japanese couples, when polled, describe their marriage as a love match even if it was arranged.

These days, doing omiai often means going to a computer matching service rather than to a nakodo. The nakodo of tradition was an old woman who knew all the kids in the neighborhood and went around trying to pair them off by speaking to their parents; a successful match would bring her a wedding invitation and a gift of money. But Japanese today find it's less awkward to reject a proposed partner if the nakodo is a computer.

Japan has about five hundred computer matching services. Some big companies, including Mitsubishi, run one for their employees. At a typical commercial service, an applicant pays $80 to $ 125 to have his or her personal data stored in the computer for two years and $ 200 or so more if a marriage results. The stored information includes some obvious items, like education and hobbies, and some not-so-obvious ones, like whether a person is the oldest child. (First sons, and to some extent first daughthers, face an obligation of caring for elderly parents. )

According to the passage, today's young Japanese prefer______.

A．a traditional arranged marriage

B．a new type of arranged marriage

C．a Western love marriage

D．a more Westernized love marriage

No country in the world has more daily newspaper than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Distinguished dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times exert a powerful influence all over the country. However, the Post and the Times are not national newspapers in the sense that the Times is in Britain of le Monde in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed accounts of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.

Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the "sensational", which feature crime, sex and gossip, to the serious, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with the lure of television.

Just as American newspapers cater for all tastes, so do they also try and appeal to readers of ail political persuasions. A few newspapers support extremist groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers attempt to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are essentially moderate. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of differing political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.

As in other democratic countries American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair. The newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.

The New York Times is ______.

A．one of the national newspapers in America

B．one of the most famous daily papers in America

C．the daily paper of New York City

D．both B and C

No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Distinguished dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However the Post and the Times are not national newspapers in the sense that The Time is in Britain or LeMonde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed accounts of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.

Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the sensational, which feature crime, sex and rumor, to the serious, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world evens. (80) But with few exceptions American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with television. Just as American newspapers give way to all tastes, so do they also appeal to readers of all political persuasions. A few newspapers support extremist (过激分子) groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers attempt to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are essentially moderate. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.

As in other democratic countries American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once bravely uncovered political scandals (丑闻) or crimes, such as the Watergate Affair. The newspapers also drew the attention of the public to the fears of the Vietnam War.

There are fewer national newspapers in ______ .

A．Britain than in the USA

B．France than in Britain

C．the USA than in Britain or France

D．France than in the USA or Britain