E

However wealthy we may be, we can never find enough hours in the day to do everything we want. Economics deals with this problem through the concept of opportunity cost, which simply refers to whether someone’s time or money could be better spent on something else.

Every hour of our time has a value. For every hour we work at one job we could quite easily be doing another, or be sleeping or watching a film. Each of these options has a different opportunity cost—namely, what they cost us in missed opportunities.

Say you intend to watch a football match but the tickets are expensive and it will take you a couple of hours to get to and from the stadium. Why not, you might reason, watch the game from home and use the leftover money and time to have dinner with friends? This—the alternative use of your cash and time—is the opportunity cost.

For economists, every decision is made by knowledge of what one must forgo—in terms of money and enjoyment—in order to take it up. By knowing precisely what you are receiving and what you are missing out on, you ought to be able to make better-informed, more reasonable decisions. Consider that most famous economic rule of all: there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even if someone offers to take you out to lunch for free, the time you will spend in the restaurant still costs you something in terms of forgone opportunities.

Some people find the idea of opportunity cost extremely discouraging: imagine spending your entire life calculating whether your time would be better spent elsewhere doing something more profitable or enjoyable. Yet, in a sense it’s human nature to do precisely that we assess the advantages and disadvantages of decisions all the time.

In the business world, a popular phrase is “value for money.” People want their cash to go as far as possible. However, another is fast obtaining an advantage: “value for time.” The biggest restriction on our resources is the number of hours we can devote to something, so we look to maximize the return we get on our investment of time. By reading this passage you are giving over a bit of your time which could be spent doing other activities, such as sleeping and eating. In return, however, this passage will help you to think like an economist, closely considering the opportunity cost of each of your decisions.

1.According to the passage, the concept of “opportunity cost” is applied to ________.

A. weighing the choice of opportunities

B. reducing missed opportunities

C. making more money

D. taking more opportunities

2.The “l(fā)eftover ... time” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to the time ________.

A. taken to have dinner with friends

B. spared for watching the match at home

C. saved from not going to watch the match

D. spent on the way to and from the match

3.What are forgone opportunities?

A. Opportunities you make up for.

B. Opportunities you forget in decision-making.

C. Opportunities you give up for better ones.

D. Opportunities you miss accidentally.

4.What is the author’s attitude towards the concept of “opportunity cost”?

A. Indifferent B. Negative

C. Subjective D. Objective

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科目：高中英語 來源：2015-2016學(xué)年福建八縣一中高二上學(xué)期期中英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau stands with his wife, Sophie Gregoire, as he gives his victory speech after Canada's federal election in Montreal, Quebec, Oct. 19, 2015.

“Tonight I'd like to toast(為……干杯) the future prime minister of Canada: to Justin Pierre Trudeau."

American President Richard Nixon had that to say in 1972 at a state dinner to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau about his newborn son, Justin. Forty-three years later, Justin Pierre Trudeau has become the second-youngest prime minister in Canada. His Liberal Party(自由黨) won a majority in Monday's national election over the Conservative Party(保守黨).

Justin Pierre Trudeau came from Canada's political royalty. He is the son of Pierre Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair Trudeau. His father, Pierre Trudeau, served two terms as Prime Minister between 1968 and 1984. His mother, Margaret Sinclair Trudeau, came from a well-known family of politicians. She married the 51-year-old prime minister when she was 22. Margaret Trudeau was known for her partying at New York nightclubs with stars like the Rolling Stones. The couple inspired "Trudeaumania" and was frequently compared to the American Kennedys, another political royal family.

Young Trudeau graduated from McGill University in 1994. He spent his early years as a schoolteacher in Vancouver. He is married to Sophie Grégoire, a former broadcaster. They married in 2007. They have three children.

Justin Pierre Trudeau is promising "real change" in domestic and foreign policy. He told supporters earlier Tuesday that a positive campaign led to the victory.

"This is what positive politics can do," Trudeau said. "Canadians from across this great country sent a clear message tonight."

Mr. Trudeau promises to invest(投資) in rebuilding roads and bridges. He also plans to raise taxes on wealthy Canadians.

Like his father before him, the young Trudeau has already received international attention on his election as prime minister. Major American newspapers like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal published his victory on the front pages. News websites from Le Monde of Paris to the Times of London headlined the return of "Trudeaumania" in their coverage.

1.How old is the new Canadian prime minister?

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C. 43 D. The text doesn’t tell us.

2.Which of the following statement is WRONG?

A. There is more than one American president coming from Kennedy family.

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C. Justin’s positive campaign won many voters(選民).

D. Justin Pierre Trudeau has attracted wide attention of the Press.

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A. Liberal Party has been the leading party in Canada.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2015屆安徽師大附中高二下學(xué)期期中考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：書面表達(dá)

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注意：120詞左右；開頭已給出，不計入詞數(shù)。

Mr. Wang,

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__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________________

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B

American researchers found females are the more talkative sex because of a special “l(fā)anguage protein” in the brain.

The study, conducted by neuroscientists(神經(jīng)學(xué)家) and psychologist from the University of Maryland, concluded that women talked more because they had more of the Foxp2 protein. The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that higher levels were found among humans that were women but in rats that were males. Their findings came after it was previously claimed that ladies speak about 20,000 words a day – over 13,000 more than men. “This study is one of the first to report a sex difference in the expression of a language-associated protein in humans or animals,” said Prof Margaret McCarthy, who led the study. In their study, the researchers attempted to determine what might make male rats more vocal than their female friends.

They separated four-day-old rats from their mothers and then counted the number of times they cried out in the “ultrasonic（超聲波的） range”, the frequencies higher than humans can hear, over five minutes. While both sexes called out hundreds of cries, the males called out twice as often, they found. But when the pups were returned to their mother’s cage, she fussed over her sons first. Tests conducted on the parts of the brain known to be associated with vocal calls showed the male pups have up to twice as much Foxp2 protein as the females. The researchers then increased the production in the brains of female pups and reduced it in males. This led to the female rats crying out more often and their mothers showing more interest to them. In contrast, males became less “talkative”.

The researchers then tested samples from ten children, aged between three and five, which showed that females had up to 30 per cent more of the Foxp2 protein than males, in a brain area key to language in humans.

“Based on our observations, we assume higher levels of Foxp2 in girls and higher levels of Foxp2 in male rats is an indication that Foxp2 protein levels are associated with the more communicative sex,” said Prof McCarthy.

“Our results imply Foxp2 as a component (成分)of the neurobiological basis of sex differences in vocal communication in mammals.”

1.From the second paragraph, we can learn that ________.

A. women always speak more words than men

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C. women and male rats have similar levels of Foxp2

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D. discover the association between Foxp2 protein and vocal communication

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Tests on humans and rats

B. Why women are the talkative sex

C. Sex differences in Foxp2 protein

D. Foxp2 protein determines oral ability

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Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

2015 High School Video Contest

Here’s the Scoop on Pet Waste!

Submission Deadline March 27, 2015.

Eligibility

Ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students that attend schools located in Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale counties are invited to participate in the video contest. Entries can be a team or individual effort.

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? Each video must be uploaded to YouTube. The video’s YouTube link must be included in the entry/release form.

? Team members must be from the same school.

? The video must be between 30-60 seconds in length.

? No professional assistance or use of copyright material is allowed, including background music.

? Each student participating in the contest or appearing in the video must fill out a form. For teams, submit an entry/release form for each team member.

? One video per team or individual.

? All entry/release forms must be postmarked or received by Friday, March 27, 2015.

Email: kvaIlianos@atlantaregional.com

OR

Mail: 2015 Water Video Contest Metro Water District 40 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta, GA 30303

Judging

Submissions will be judged based on the following criteria:

? incorporation of the “Here’s the Scoop on Pet Waste’’ message. Use the "Here's the Scoop on Pet Waste’’ messaging fact sheet for background information on the issue.

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? Accuracy of information.

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? 1st Place $1500

? 2nd Place $1000

?3rd Place $500

50% of the prize money will go to the individual or team who submits the video and 50% to the high school they attend. Winners will be notified directly.

Page 1 of 3 www.northgeorgiawater.org

1.What does the underlined word “Eligibility” probably mean?

A. Age. B. Qualification.

C. Location. D. Grade.

2.When entering the contest, ________.

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Teen obesity means the problem of very overweight teenagers. Obesiry for a teenager happens when his or her BMI(身體質(zhì)量指數(shù))is more than 95 percent greater as compared to other teenagers of the same gender(性別)and age.

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In addition, there can be many psychological effects of teen obesity. Some experts believe there is a strong link between obesity and self-identity(自我認(rèn)向)．If teens are treated poorly by other teens, they may have the feeling of low self-esteem(自尊), loneliness and depression Health experts recommend several ways to control teen obesity. The most common sugges-tions are eating balanced meals with enough fruit and vegetables in addition to getting 60 minutes of exercise daily. Eating a good breakfast can also help according to some doctors.

Doctors suggest that teens avoid trying to go on a diet and instead learn to how to make lifestyle changes.Some experts also recommend making the entire family take part in healthier habits to make the obese teen feel less alone. Parents can also avoid talking about health weight in terms of "fat' and "thin" and instead say that each person's ideal size is different

Title

Teen obesity

Introduction

Teen obesity happens when he or she BMI is over 95 percent greater than teenagers of the same gender and age

1..

★Genetics

★2. _ - eating habits

★3. to get enough exercise

4.. effects

★It 5. ____ the risk of development health complication.

★Obese teens are likely to develop heart disease when they become 6.. .

★Obese teens may have low self-esteem and feel 7.or depressed.

8.

★Eat balanced meals and take exercise every day .

★Eat a good breakfast

★Change 9. .

★Make the whole family 10. in healthy habits.

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—Did you like your trip to Xi' an during the Summer vacation?

—____．It was too hot and there was too much traffic．

A．Not a little

B．Don' t mention it

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Art is an important part of education, not only on its own but in the rest of education as well. However, in this information age, advanced technology in school has gained more attention than art. Sometimes when the school has a tight budget, it is usually art rather than technology that becomes the first thing to be cut.

Anyway, the significance of art can’t be ignored. First of all, in school it can help students develop a variety of life skills such as communication skills, problem-solving skills and self-expression skills. Secondly, for high school students, those who are involved in arts classes can have higher test scores. Besides, for some students, art seems to be motivation for coming to school because it’s a subject that they can outshine, which eventually balances their educational experience.

New technology surely offers many benefits to some aspects of education, making teaching and learning easier and more effective. For example, technology simplifies tasks that take much longer to do, like conducting research or finding information. But advanced technology has bad effects such as the risk of being overweight, tiredness and even potential mental health problems, while art doesn’t. On the other hand, unlike art, no technology can develop students’ critical (批判的) thinking skills and a creative mind, both of which can help them to find successful careers after they graduate. Furthermore, no technology can help students to learn to bear responsibility, develop their imagination and increase their confidence.

Generally, art should not be replaced with advanced technology in schools and the last thing to be cut out of school curriculum.

Title

Should Technology 1. Art?

Situation

Technology has attracted more2. than art In schools, which is in danger of being cut.

The3. roles that art plays in school

● Developing 4. life skills

● Improving academic performance

● Serving as 5. for attending school

Advantages of art over technology

● Causing less health problems

● Developing critical thinking and 6.

● Helping students take on 7.

● Developing imagination

● Making students feel more 8.

9.

Art should be no doubt 10.on the school curriculum.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2014-2015學(xué)年重慶巴蜀中學(xué)高三上學(xué)期第一次模擬考試英語試卷（解析版） 題型：書面表達(dá)

假如你是李華，新華中學(xué)學(xué)生。你校最近成立了讀者俱樂部。成為俱樂部成員的要求就是要推薦一本書給同學(xué)們。請根據(jù)以下要點，寫一封郵件給俱樂部負(fù)責(zé)人David。

● 祝賀俱樂部的成立；

● 推薦書籍 Harry Potter，并簡單闡述推薦理由；（故事有趣，包含許多人生哲理等）

● 讀者俱樂部的成立對學(xué)生的意義，并表達(dá)想成為其中一員的愿望。

注意：詞數(shù)不少于80；不能逐字逐句翻譯；郵件格式及開頭已經(jīng)給出（不計入總詞數(shù)）。

參考詞匯： 人生哲理 philosophies of life

Dear David,

I am Li Hua, a student from Xinhua Secondary School. ______________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

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