A generation ago, after a series of horrible scandals, Australia abandoned hundreds of detailed rules governing nursing homes for the elderly. Rather than insisting, for example, that they should offer at least 80 square feet of floor area per resident, the government set broad principles. Care homes were told to offer a “homelike environment“ and to respect residents’ “privacy and dignity.“ Philip Howard, an American lawyer and campaigner for better governance, records the alarm this triggered among regulatory experts. Yet alarm turned to surprise. Australian nursing homes improved measurably, as staff and owners were freed to think independently rather than blindly following checklists. Mr. Howard’s new book, The Rule of Nobody, calls on America to embrace the same sort of broad, principles-based regulation, allowing officials and judges more freedom to use their common sense when enforcing the law. Mr Howard offers a sad catalogue of current bureaucratic follies. Some are costly, such as the many unneeded tests and procedures for retired Americans covered by Medicare. Some are scandalous: Public subsidies were created to help Depression-era family farmers, but have since been grabbed by giant agribusinesses. He notes the rule which prevented New York’s governor from closing an empty juvenile detention centre, because its unionized employees could not be laid off without a year’s notice. The Rule of Nobody is fair in its politics, noting that right and left have imposed on America overly detailed regulations, under pressure from special-interest lobbies. One root of the problem is mistrust. Conservatives distrust public employees and so seek to limit their powers. The left thinks that business bosses will lose control of themselves unless bound. The book’s weakness—a forgivable one—may be its optimism. Mr. Howard writes about the American myth that laws need to be detailed and precise to prevent abuses and achieve uniformity. But politics explains many of the follies that he attacks. It is because the elders vote in such numbers that Medicare is expensive and hard to reform. Farm subsidies are protected by the Founding Fathers’ decision to give sparsely-populated rural states disproportionate power. Public employees’ unions are powerful because they are money-payers and suppliers of campaign foot-soldiers for Democratic politicians. The author realizes the mighty forces against change. But he insists that the political system in Washington is really a “house of cards.“ A reform movement with an accurate accusation and a credible plan “can push it over.“ Alas, the real-world Washington feels less fragile than rotten. And a rotting republic can last long.

Millionaire Arthur Ryerson stepped on board the Titanic, the world’s most famous luxury ship. He was going to enjoy this trip across the Atlantic. This was the Titanic’s first voyage, a trip from England to New York City. Her decks were filled with libraries, smoking rooms, dining rooms, a gymnasium, and a swimming pool. When the Titanic pulled out of port on April 10, 1912, she was carrying 2,224 passengers and crew. The first four days of the trip were clear, clam, and cold. Arthur Ryerson spent his days talking, walking, and playing cards with several of his friends. All the passengers were enjoying their days abroad the ship. None of them knew of the danger ahead. They were approaching icebergs. The evening of April 14 was relaxed and friendly. By 11:30, most passengers were sleeping or getting ready for bed. Other passengers were reading, drinking, or writing letters. The band was finishing for the evening. Arthur Ryerson was playing cards with three of his friends. Out in the cold, one of the crewmen was standing watch. Suddenly, up ahead, he saw something in the water. He immediately rang three bells and radioed the engine room. “Iceberg, right ahead! Stop!“ It was too late. The iceberg ripped a 300-foot hole in the Titanic’s right side. The ship was filling with water and sinking fast. There was no panic on board. Arthur Ryerson was one of the men who helped women and children into the lifeboats. When he saw there would be no room for himself or any of the other men on the ship, Ryerson and his three friends returned to the smoking room and their game of cards. They were still playing as the Titanic sank into the icy waters. On that cold evening in 1912, 1,513 people lost their lives in one of the worst sea disasters in history. Q13: Which of the following didn’t Titanic have on board the ship? Ql4: What was the date of the disastrous accident? Q15: Why did so many people lose their lives? Smoking rooms. A gymnasium. Assembly rooms. Dining rooms.

Long-term effects include________(3 words), heart failure, hypertension and even obesity.An estimated 50 million to 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia, an umbrella term for trouble falling or staying asleep and other sleep problems. A good night’s sleep is more important to our sense of well-being in the short term than it is to our health. It feels terrible when you miss a night’s sleep, but it won’t kill you. Long-term, it can lead to health issues if you keep missing sleep. You feel drowsy and not clear-headed; driving and operating machinery can be dangerous. Long-term effects include depression and anxiety, heart failure, hypertension and even obesity. It is a health hazard. What causes insomnia? There are a lot of causes, from worrying about not sleeping, to stress, to eating too much or too little before bed, drinking too much alcohol, caffeine, side effects from common medications, and more. There are several over-the-counter drugs available to help people sleep, but if you don’t want to use drugs, there are some things you can do on your own to help get a good night’s sleep: Keep the room dark: The thing that tells your body it’s nighttime is when it’s dark. Even a little bit of light can send the message to your brain to wake up. Control the room sounds: If you’re a light sleeper, the slightest noise will wake you up. If your mate snores, change rooms; if there’s street noise, close windows. Limit bedroom activity: Don’t do anything in bed but go to sleep. Get rid of television, computers, books. Don’t eat in bed. Create a sleep and wake schedule: Pick the time you want to go to bed every night and wake up every morning, including weekends, and stick to it. If you mess up that strict schedule, don’t try to catch up.

If diplomacy was going to succeed, we needed a fundamentally different approach. equally radically stunningly punctually

The waters of the Amazon River are inhabited by 2,500 different species of fish. populated swallowed forbidden invaded

The impact of the financial crisis manifests itself in the total number of the unemployed. invests conceals plunges displays

At the very outset of our meeting a great personal relief was experienced by both Van Helsing and myself. end onset middle prospect

I tried to talk my daughter into dining out at a nearby restaurant that evening, but in vain. to my advantage in the end to no effect to some extent

Computers can finish calculations in a fraction of the time________by human beings. spent taken cost paid

North Korea launched a long-range rocket carrying what it called a satellite ________global warnings. in line with in defiance of in conformity with in case of

The lady remained in her own room, with the female servants around her, ________endless preparations for the approaching departure. composed of bound for immersed in doomed to

尽管父母对孩子个性形成影响的程度很难判定，但父母无疑是孩子的榜样。正面影响会使孩子终身受益。孩子通过观察父母的言行学会如何行为和如何与他人交往。不论受多少正规教育，都无法取代父母的作用。等孩子长大时，他将尽力不辜负父母的期望。

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition of no less than 150 words under the title of “One of My Cherished Memories.“ You are advised to avoid using any stereotyped expressions or sentences, such as “last but not the least.“

W: Say, Michael, if you like classic music, we’ve got an extra ticket for the concert on Sunday. Care to join us? M: Gee, how could I turn down an offer like this? Q: What does the man mean? He doesn’t like classic music. He feels sorry to decline the offer. He is eager to go to the concert. He hasn’t got a ticket yet.

M: I’d like to exchange this red sweater that I bought yesterday for the blue one. W: The blue one is only $11.95, and the red one is $15. Q: Approximately how much does the clerk owe the man? $0.35. $3.50. $3.05. $30.5.

Well, good morning, everyone, it’s good to see you all here. Welcome to Smith House. Smith House as you may or may not know is one of the oldest residential colleges of the university. As you can see, the building you’re in now which contains this main lounge, the dining room, the recreation room, the kitchen and the office was part of the original old house, built in the 1840s to be used by the family of George Smith. That’s of course how the house and college got their names. The original house was converted into a residential college for the university in 1940 and since then has continued to be added to and modernized. You’ll notice when you receive your room allocation in a few minutes that your room number either begins with the letter N, S, or W like this one here. The first letter refers to the three wings of the college which come away from this main building. Of course the letters represent the three directions—in this case—north, south and west. Each wing has two floors, and so the next number you see is either one, or in this case two, and this indicates which floor your room is on. The number after that is your individual room number. So it’s quite simple to find any room by going to the right wing, then floor, and then room number. Q10: What was Smith House originally? Q11: Which of the following is true of the present Smith House? Q12: What is meant by W234 according to this talk? A residential college. A family house. A university. An office block.

A kid’s desirable habit can be reinforced by parents’ encouragement and praise. consolidated relaxed weakened evaded

Although I felt suspicious at first, I have come to believe what she said that day. first of all for the first time before long in the beginning

Most visitors couldn’t help admiring this museum for its novelty and splendor. freshness fiction imagination fascination

The rainy weather lasted for about five consecutive days, leaving the room cold and damp. intermediate successive unbearable conventional

Enrollment in each program is limited and________requirements vary from program to program. acknowledgement admission confession recognition

Nursing homes for the elderly in Australia are mentioned to________.

The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably means that________.

It seems to the author of this passage that the follies mentioned in the book

The last paragraph mentions Mr Howard’s conviction that________.

This passage is mainly concerned with________.

This passage is probably________.