1、2013届高三英语星级阶梯阅读练习 二星级 4AFew laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect. But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled - to $1.01 per pack - smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.This is no
2、t a surprise to public health advocates. Theyve studied the effect of state tax increases for years, finding that smokers, especially teens, are price sensitive. Nor is it a shock to the industry, which fiercely fights every tax increase.The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their
3、 ears to the message. Tobacco taxes improve public health, they raise money and most particularly, they deter people from taking up the habit as teens, which is when nearly all smokers are addicted. Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.In Manhattan, for instance, which has the highest tax in the n
4、ation, a pack of Marlboro Light Kings cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday. In Charleston, S.C., where the 7-cent-a-pack tax is the lowest in the nation, the price was $4.78.The influence is obvious.In New York, high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys -13.8%, far below the national
5、 average. By comparison, 26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky. Other low-tax states have similarly depressing teen-smoking records.Hal Rogers, Representative from Kentucky, like those who are against high tobacco taxes, argues that the burden of the tax falls on low-income Americans “who ch
6、oose to smoke.”Thats true. But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low-income workers from getting hooked in the first place. As for todays adults, if the new tax drives them to quit, they will have more to spend on their families, cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and fee
7、l better.46The text is mainly about_.Athe price of cigarettes Bthe rate of teen smoking Cthe differences in tobacco tax rate Dthe effect of tobacco tax increase 47What does the author think is a surprise?ASome states still keep the tobacco tax low.BTeen smokers are price sensitive.CTobacco taxes imp
8、rove public health. DTobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.48The underlined word deter in Paragraph 3 most probably means .Abenefit Bremove Cdiscourage Dfree49Rogers attitude towards the low-income smokers might be that of .Atolerance Bsympathy Cdoubt Dunconcern50What can we learn from the l
9、ast paragraph? AThe new tax will be beneficial in the long run. BLow-income Americans are more likely to fall ill. CFuture generations will be hooked on smoking. DAdults will depend more on their families.BIn a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional
10、 business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decade has seen more and more forests disappearing and the globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low
11、 carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources. Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three tim
12、es bigger over the next decade. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high
13、-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油)， which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%. Governments can fully devel
14、op the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge expe
15、nses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from the traditional model to a sustainable one.The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of a growing population within the limits of this single planet. That
16、 is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.51The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that _ . Ait makes the world warmer Bit makes growth hard to continue Cit brings severe damage to forests Dit consumes natural reso
17、urces52What can we infer from Paragraph 2? AHigh-speed trains are a low-carbon development. BChina is the leader of the low-carbon market. CChina lacks wind and solar energy. DPalm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests.53To fully develop the low-carbon markets, government can _ . Acut public e
18、xpenses Bencourage energy conservation Cdevelop public resources Dforbid carbon emission54We can learn from the last paragraph that businesses have many chances to _ . Amake full use of natural resources Bexplore new natural resources Cdevelop sustainable products Ddeal with the major challenge55Wha
19、t is the main purpose of the passage ? ATo introduce a new business model. BTo advocate sustainable development. CTo predict a change of the global market. DTo compare two business models.CPsychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity (成熟) can be an asset（资产） in child rearing - older p
20、arents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active chil
21、d. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, “end up retiring much later.” For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.Henry Metcalf, a 54
22、-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But hes also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but hes learned that young at heart doesnt mean young. Lately hes been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy.“My bod
23、y is aging,”says Metcalf.“You cant get away from that.”Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at.“They worry theyll be mistaken for grandparents, or that theyll need
24、help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school,”says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one:“that they wont be alive long enough to support and protect their child,”she says.Many late-life parents, though, say their
25、children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility (受孕) treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband Randy, had twins.“We both wanted children,”says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years,“a sense of f
26、amily.” Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives.“The dads are older, more mature,”says Dr. Silber,“and more ready to focus on parenting.”56Why do psychiatrists regard maturity as an asset in child rearing?AOlder parents c
27、an better balance their resources against childrens demands.BOlder parents can take better care of their children. COlder parents are often better prepared financially.DOlder parents are usually more experienced in bringing up their children.57What does the author mean by saying For many, retirement
28、 becomes an unobtainable dream in paragraph 1?AThey cant obtain the retirement benefits they have dreamed of.BThey cant get full pension unless they work some extra years.CThey have to go on working beyond their retirement age.DThey are reluctant to retire when they reach their retirement age.58The
29、author gives the example of Henry Metcalf to show that _.Amany people are young in spirit despite their advanced ageBtaking afternoon naps is a good way to maintain energyColder parents should exercise more to keep up with their athletic childrenDolder parents tend to be concerned about their aging
30、bodies59Whats the biggest fear of older parents according to New York psychologist Joann Galst?ABeing laughed at by other people. BBeing mistaken for grandparents. CSlowing down of their pace of life. DApproaching of death.60What do we learn about Marilyn and Randy Nolen? ANot until they had the twins did they feel they had formed a family.BThey thought they were an example of successful fertility treatment.CThey believed that children born of older parents would be smarter.DNot until they reached middle age did they think of having children. 4650 D A C B A 51-55 D A B C B 5660 B C D D A