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            • 1． Tourists visiting Brazil for the World Cup are advised to pack a bathing suit, sunscreen, and a whole lot of cash. Home to some of the world’s most expensive restaurants and hotels, and with some prices rising more as the opening match approaches,Brazil will shock those visitors whose idea of a tropical paradise is paying $1 for a beachside beer.
                   Instead, Brazil is often the land of the $10 caipirinha, a local drink, the $100 risotto（意大利炖饭）and the $1,000-a-night hotel room, prices fueled by many of the same imbalances and government policies that have restrained economic growth in recent years. Even by European and U.S. standards, such prices for basic items are often staggering.
                   In Sao Paulo, a bustling business hub that is surrounded by some of the country’s largest coffee farms, a coffee often costs twice as much as in Lisbon, says Paulo Duarte, a pharmaceutical consultant who splits time between both cities. “It’s absurd,”Duarte said. “We’re talking about one
              country that produces coffee and another that imports it.”
                   High prices are nothing new inBrazil. The country has a long history of economic instability and runaway inflation (通货膨胀), which topped 2,400 percent a year as recently as 1993. Inflation these days is much more manageable, running at about 6 percent a year, though that is still high by international standards.Sao Paulo, for example, is the most expensive city in theAmericasand the 19th most expensive in the world, ahead ofNew YorkandLondon, according to a recent survey by the Mercer consulting firm.Riois among the world’s 30 most expensive cities.
                   One reason prices are so steep is that the cost of doing business is so high, thanks to a mix of taxes, import tariffs (关税), bureaucracy and poor infrastructure that can make Brazil a difficult place to operate. Economists have a name for that: “Custo Brasil,” or “Brazil Cost.” It can make goods manufactured 30 percent more expensive than those produced abroad, according to a study by the industry federation ofRio de Janeiro.
                   Even for tourists with some money to burn, creative solutions are often called for. Dimitar Bogdanov and Simeon Vassilev, a Hungarian couple who visited Rio de Janeiro for the first time early this year, paid $100 for a risotto at one of the city’s chic (别致的) restaurants. But they decided to change their big night plans, and managed to spend “only” $30 at a per-kilo buffet place where you pay by the weight of your serving. “Some things are way overpriced but some others are cheap compared to Europe,” Bogdanov said, recommending that tourists spend on Brazil’s famous rubber flip-flops, which can retail for $24 overseas but cost as little as $8 here.
                   Sometimes, though, there’s no getting around the problem, especially when it comes to the World Cup. The average hotel cost for the night of the final on July 13 inRiois 816 reais ($371), according to Trivago, a website that compares prices on over 190 booking websites. One two-star bed and breakfast in Copacabana is charging 2,000 reais ($909) for a small, poorly furnished room for that one night. By comparison, an 80-minute flight between New York and Washington under the same conditions costs as little as $167.
              难度：难
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            • 2． 阅读下列短文，从每题所给四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
                  How far would you be willing to go to satisfy your need to know? Far enough to find out your possibility of dying from a terrible disease? These days that’s more than an academic question, as Tracy Smith reports in our Cover Story.
                  There are now more than a thousand genetic tests, for everything from baldness to breast cancer, and the list is growing. Question is, do you really want to know what might eventually kill you? For instance, Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, one of the first people to map their entire genetic makeup, is said to have asked not to be told if he were at a higher risk for Alzheimer’（老年痴呆症）.
                  “If I tell you that you have an increased risk of getting a terrible disease, that could weigh on your mind and make you anxious, through which you see the rest of your life as you wait for that disease to hit you. It could really mess you up.” Said Dr. Robert Green, a Harvard geneticist.
                  “Every ache and pain,” Smith suggested, could be understood as “the beginning of the end.” “That ’s right. If you ever worried you were at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, then every time you can’t find your car in the parking lot, you think the disease has started.”
                  Dr. Green has been thinking about this issue for years. He led a study of people who wanted to know if they were at a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s. It was thought that people who got bad news would, for lack of a better medical term, freak out. But Green and his team found that there was “no significant difference” between how people handled good news and possibly the worst news of their lives. In fact, most people think they can handle it. People who ask for the information usually can handle the information, good or bad, said Green.
              难度：较难
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            • 3． Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs.      
                Personal ad­visors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive (主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability. While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harm­ful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the attractive overnight succes­ses was connected more with personal relationships and less to ability than that of the unattractive over­night successes. Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman considered to be more womanish has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally man­ly position appears to lack the “manly” qualities. This is true even in politics, “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractive­ness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them. The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
              难度：较难
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            • 4． Long nights of winter can leave even the most positive people feeling cranky（古怪的）. But for about 5% of Americans, it’s more serious: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that most occurs in the winter. Symptoms include loss of energy, eating more and difficulty concentrating.
                  The cause of SAD is unknown, but darker days probably play a role. Reduced levels of natural sunlight can disrupt your body’s internal clock, which can lead to depression. It also causes a drop in serotonin（血清素）, a feel-good brain chemical. Severe cases may need antidepressant treatment. You can’t prevent the disorder from developing, but you can ease the symptoms.
                   Consider light therapy
                  Exposure to bright light that mimics（模仿）natural light is thought to affect mood-related brain chemicals and ease symptoms. It involves sitting in front of a special light box or wearing a cap-like lighted visor（盔甲）for about 30 minutes a day. Another therapy uses a “dawn simulator” that turns on early in the morning and gradually increases in brightness, allowing your body to wake up naturally. Light therapy can have minor side effects, such as eye strain and headaches, and it isn’t recommended for people with skin sensitivity.
                   Go outside
                  Yes, even if it’s cold and cloudy. Natural light is still good for you, and it can relieve your symptoms, especially if you head outdoors within two hours of waking up. At home, open the blinds and drapes to let in the light.
                   Eat right and exercise
                  Two health basics can help here, too: A well-balanced diet can improve energy levels, and regular physical activity works to boost your mood and ease stress and anxiety, which can aggravate SAD symptoms.
                   Spend time with friends
                  Make an effort to see people you enjoy, even when you’re down. Staying connected to your social circle and participating in your regular activities can offer great support during the winter months.
              难度：中等
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            • 5． There are quite a few advantages of wearing school uniforms. The idea may seem disagreeable at first, but considering all the positive effective coming from wearing uniforms you would be more likely to enjoy them.
              Teachers love school uniforms because it helps provide an orderly learning environment. Having students dressed in uniforms may teach them how to present themselves in a neat and professional manner. It gives students the opportunity to learn how to dress like young ladies and gentleman. And they can focus their attention on academics rather than style.
              Purchasing school uniforms is easy and needs less hesitation and consideration. No matter what the school’s policy is, there are only specific essential pieces to the wardrobe（服装） that are necessary, so it won’t break the bank. A few wardrobe items can last a long time. Parents could also enjoy an easy morning, as it will take less time to choose a set of clothes for the school day.
              Students wearing uniforms will feel less pressure about what to wear or not to wear when their classmates are dressed similarly. Getting dressed before school becomes less of a chore（琐事） when students are limited in their choices, so there shouldn’t be any trouble about choosing an outfit for the day and getting ready quickly. Some students may not like the lack of individuality with a uniform, but some school dress code policies may offer them the opportunities to show their unique styles.
              Uniforms today are also becoming trendier and can be seen in many areas of pop culture. Celebrities（名人） and fashion designers are using uniforms as inspiration for new looks which also appeal to students.   
              难度：较易
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            • 6． Hong Kong crash leads to money seizing
                  Hong Kong police have appealed to the public to return millions of dollars taken after a small truck transporting HK$525m ($68m; £44m) crashed on a major road.
                  About HK$35m ($4.5m; £3m) worth of banknotes were left scattered across a large area after the road accident.
                  Witnesses said dozens of people rushed to pocket the cash before armed police arrived to secure the area.
                  Some HK$20m was brought back and police warned that failure to return the rest would be “a very serious crime”.
                  The incident happened at lunchtime on one of Hong Kong’s busiest roads in the Wan Chai district on Hong Kong Island, causing major disruption as people abandoned their cars to collect the notes.
                 Individual notes were seen spread across the carriageway but witnesses also reported seeing bundles of HK$500 notes wrapped in plastic.
                  One witness told the South China Morning Post that she saw a “regular looking Hong Kong lady” take at least 10 bundles before leaving the scene.
                  “She had an armful of bricks of cash —— it was as much as she could carry. She just disappeared into the depths of Wan Chai,” the witness said.
                  Speaking shortly afterwards, police superintendent Wan Siu-hong called on those who had picked up any money to hand it over to police as soon as possible.
                  “If he or she keeps the money for [their] own use, [they] may commit an offence of theft which is a very serious crime under ordinance,” he told reporters.
                  He said police had launched an inquiry into the cause of the accident, adding that they “cannot rule out any possibilities at this moment”.
              难度：较易
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