part i writing (30 minutes)
directions: for this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: overseas study at an early age. you should write at least 150 words following the outline given below:
1. 目前很多父母在子女高中毕业前就送他们出国学习
2. 形成这种趋势的原因
3. 我对此的看法
overseas study at an early age
part ii reading comprehension (skimming and scanning) (15 minutes)
directions: in this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on answer sheet 1. for questions 1-4, mark
y (for yes) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;
n (for no) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;
ng (for not given) if the information is not given in the passage.
for question 5-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
the next disaster: are we ready?
are we really prepared?
after the attacks on september 11 and the hurricanes that slammed the gulf coast last year, you'd expect our major cities to be ready with disaster plans that will save lives and property. there's no doubt we'll be hit again—maybe even harder—because the list of possible calamities(灾难)is long: from a bird flu pandemic to a massive california earthquake, to more monster storms, to another terrorist attack.
but are we really prepared to protect people, as well as their homes and businesses? every major urban area has received federal funding, much of it from the department of homeland security (dhs), in order to make their cities more secure. but there are no set criteria for measuring preparedness (the feds are working on that), and the quality of disaster plans varies widely throughout the country.