单选题Kindergarten in rich countries other than America usually begins at the age of _____.A eightB sevenC sixD four

2． Hong Kong is more crowed than _________ in South America．

A．any city

B．any other city

C． other cities

D． the other cities

Passage ThreeQuestions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

An understanding of man's effect on the balance of nature is crucial (关键的) to being able to find the appropriate remedial action. It is a very common belief that the problems of the population explosion are caused mainly by poor people living in poor countries who do not know enough to limit their reproduction. This is not true. The actual number of people in an area is not as important as the effect they have on nature. Developing countries do have an effect on their environment, but it is the populations of richer countries that have a far greater impact on the earth as a whole.

For example, tropical forests are known to be essential to the balance of nature, yet we are destroying them at a great rate. They are being cleared not to benefit the natives of that country, but to satisfy the needs of rich countries. Central American forests are being destroyed for grassland to make pet food in the United States cheaper; in Papua slew Guinea, forests are destroyed to supply cheaper cardboard packaging for Japanese electronic products; in Burma and Thailand, forests have been destroyed to produce more attractive furniture in Singapore and Hong Kong. Therefore, a rich person living thousands of miles away may cause more tropical forest destruction than a poor person living in the forest itself.

In short, it is everybody's duty to safeguard the future of mankind—not only through population control, but by being more aware of the effect his actions have on nature. Nature is both fragile and powerful. It is very easily destroyed; on the other hand, it can easily destroy its most dangerous enemy—man.

31.According to the first paragraph, people usually believe that .

A.poor people in poor countries contribute to the imbalance of nature

B. rich people know how to protect the environment by taking actions

C. people in poor areas know a lot about the birth control

D. rich people in rich countries have done a lot to balance nature

A、rather than; other than

B、other than; except

C、other than; rather than

D、besides; except

What does the author imply by "Until now such bonds have largely been the preserve of rich-country is-suers" ( Line 3-4, Para.2) ?（ ）

[A] The catastrophe bonds are mainly reserved by rich countries.

[B] Only rich countries have the ability to issue the catastrophe bonds.

[C] Rich countries seldom issue the catastrophe bonds.

[D] Most of the catastrophe bonds are raised in rich countries.

The first year of school in America, known as kindergarten(幼儿园), usually begins between the ages of five and six. Among rich countries such a late start is very strange. President Obama believes it is an economic and social problem; his education secretary goes as far as to say that it is “morally wrong”. This statement has some support,as it is clear from research into vocabulary that youngsters from poor families enter kindergarten well behind those from rich families a disadvantage that usually lasts a lifetime. Children from households on welfare knew 525 words by the age of three, while the children of professionals had mastered 1,116.

Pre-school can help close this gap. So in a speech last month, Mr. Obama called for a partnership between the federal government and the state, to expand it to every American child. It later became known that “every” meant those who come from families with incomes of up to 200% above the poverty line-equal to an income of $47,000 for a family of four.

Some critics(评论家)say that sending children to school at the age of four does not work. The evidence suggests otherwise. For example, on March 20th new results were announced from a study of 9 to 11 year olds in New Jersey. This report found that disadvantaged children who had attended preschool had better literacy(读写能力), language, math and science skills. And two years of prekindergarten were better than one.

Some studies also follow the effects of early learning over lifetimes, such as its effect on crime rates and other factors that may eventually burden society. Critics have singled out a government scheme called Head Start, created in 1965, which provides poor households with a range of services including school-based early education.

21. The kindergarten in other rich countries usually begins()than in America.

A. earlier

B. later

C. slower

22. Which is TRUE about the vocabulary size of the two groups of kids?

A. Poor preschool kids have a larger vocabulary than rich ones.

B. Rich preschool kids have a larger vocabulary than poor ones.

C. There is no obvious difference between the two groups of kids.

23. Which of the following about the New Jersey study is TRUE?

A. There is no evidence to support the New Jersey study.

B. Two years of prekindergarten were better than one.

C. Sending children to school at the age of four is not going to help.

24. The phrase “single out” in the last paragraph means().

A. count

B. think about

C. choose

25. Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?

A. Secondary Education.

B. Preschool Education.

C. Poor Kids' Education.

In the author's opinion, __.

A. developing countries should be responsible for environmental problems

B. overpopulation in the world is created by the developed countries

C. rich countries exercise worse influence on environment than poor countries

D. all countries should bring the population growth under control

A、it

B、that

C、those