*Question*
Taxpayers in America pay less in income tax than many Europeans, according to a Pew Research Center report. Belgium has the highest income tax rate, at nearly 56 percent of income, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. Taxpayers in the U.S. pay less than 36 percent of their incomes into the national treasury. Taxes pay for services provided by the government. The U.S. ranks 25 of the 34 developed countries polled in the report. An unmarried person with no children was used as an example in the report. In America, an unmarried person, with no children, making the average wage of $50,000 in 2014 paid 24.8 percent of their income in federal income tax and payroll taxes . A similar person living in Belgium would pay 42.3 percent of their income. The average among the 39 countries in the poll was 27.3 percent income tax. The deadline to pay taxes in America is usually April 15. This year, the deadline is April 18. American taxpayers complain that wealthy people and large companies pay too little tax, according to a Pew Research Center poll from 2015. Americans pay tax to fund programs like Social Security and Medicaid, according to the Pew Research Center. Last year, American taxes paid for $888 billion in Social Security benefits. Social Security pays the elderly an income after they stop working. The government also paid more than $546 billion in Medicaid and Medicare benefits. Those programs pay for health and medical care to people who cannot afford it, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The majority of people benefiting from the taxes in America are _ . A) wealthy people and corporations B) unmarried people C) married couples D) the elderly retirees
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Sir, In reply to your advertisement in today's China Daily regarding a vacancy in your office, I wish to apply for the position of senior clerk, which you have specified. I feel sure that I can meet your special requirements that the candidate must have a high command of English, for I graduated from the English Language Department of Wuhan University three years ago. In addition to my study of English in the university, I have worked for three years as a secretary in the firm of ABC Trading Co. Ltd. The main reason for changing my employment is to gain more experience with a superior trading company like yours.I believe that my education and experience will prove useful for work in your office. I am enclosing my resume, certificate of graduation and a letter of recommendation from the president of the university.I shall be obliged if you will give me a personal interview at your convenience. Very truly yours, Li Mei From the letter, we can learn that _ . A) the author would be very thankful if the company arranged a meeting with him. B) the firm of ABC Trading Co. Ltd had a vacancy in the office. C) while the author was studying in the university, he worked part-time as a secretary. D) the president of Wuhan University had good relations with the company.
**Answer**
A

*Question*
English is fast becoming the language of science around the world, but what is its future among everyday speakers? One expert points out that the percentage of native English speakers is declining while the languages of other rapidly growing regions are being spoken by increasing numbers of people. But English will continue to remain widespread and important. However,British language scholar David Graddol says English will probably drop in dominance by the middle of this century to rank,after Chinese,about equally with Arabic,Hindi,and Urdu. "The number of people speaking English as a first language continues to rise,but it isn't rising nearly as fast as the numbers of many other languages around the world,simply because the main population group has been largely in the less developed countries where languages other than English have been spoken," he says. In a recent article in the journal Science,Mr. Graddol noted that three languages that are not near the top of the list of the most widely spoken now might be there soon. These are Bengali,Tamil,and Malay,spoken in south and southeast Asia. David Crystal,the author of The Cambridge Encycloredia of the English Laeguage, says about 1. 5 billion of the world's six billion people speak it as a second tongue compared to the 400 million native speakers. But another expert on the English language says Mr. Graddol underestimates the future of its dominance. _ but nobody quite knows what's going to happen because no language has been in this position before. " he said. What should be the best title for the passage? A) English Remaining the Dominant Position B) The Future of English? Who Knows? C) Opinions from Different Experts D) The English Language Snowball Rolling Down
**Answer**
B

*Question*
In many romantic movies or TV shows one scene always appears. It involves a handsome man standing outside a young woman's window, singing a love song to her to win her over. However, trying to woo a female with songs is not just something that humans do. A few animals sing love songs as well. Birds and elephants are romantic but the latest animal to _ a female might surprise you--it is the humble mouse. You may find it odd to find out that mice sing. We do not hear them because the frequency of their voice is so high. In fact, scientists have known for some time that male mice make special sounds to females, but it has always been assumed that the sounds are produced instinctively and randomly, with little thought going into the process. But new research suggests otherwise. When male mice with different voices were put in a cage together, scientists found that they would gradually change their pitches to sound like one another. But when a female mouse was put in the cage with two males, one male would change his pitch to match the other. "It was usually the smaller animal changing the pitch to match the larger animal," professor Erich Jarvis, leader of the study, from Duke University, US, told BBC News. This ability, known as vocal learning, is rare in the natural world. It had been thought to be limited to some birds, such as parrots--as well as whales and dolphins. The latest findings challenge the long-held opinion that mice cannot learn to adapt their voices. Scientists also found the part of the brain that controls the mice's singing ability. In the experiment, they damaged the cells in this part of the mice's brain and found that the animals couldn't keep their songs in pitch or repeat them any more. This also happened when the mice became deaf. Jarvis said that this finding had changed his understanding of the way mice make sound. "In mice we find that the pathways that are at least modulating these vocalizations are in the forebrain, in places where you actually find them in humans,"... Which of the following is proven wrong by the latest discovery? A) The frequency of mice's voice is so high that it's impossible for humans to hear it. B) When male mice make special sounds to females they can't control the sounds. C) Birds and elephants are both romantic animals that are good at expressing love. D) Animals like mice are smart even though they often make sounds randomly.
**Answer**
B