真题一
信用卡(credit card)是银行所创造出来的最便捷同时也是最危险 的信用工具。通过信用卡，人们可以先用银行付账的方式购买那些 负担不起的物品，同时，银行也将对此征收比_般贷款要高的利率 (interest rate)。遗憾的.是，信用卡现巳成为资本主义体制(capitalist system)的重要组成部分，而该体制就得依赖消费(consumption)的持 续增长。
Credit cards are one of the most convenient devices ever cre ated by the banking system but, at the same time, one of the most danger¬ous. They allow people to buy things they，otherwise, couldn’t afford， with money created by the banks and, charged out at much higher interest rates than normal loans. Unfortunately, credit cards have become an es¬sential part of the capitalist system which only survives on the continued growth in consumption.
真题二
都江堰中兴镇发生山体滑坡(landslide)——这是2008年四川地 震时受灾最严重的地方。山体滑坡覆盖了大约两平方公里，摧毁了 至少11所房子。到目前为止，已有200多名居民被疏散。山体滑 坡几个小时后，巡逻队员到达现场时，一切都已经是一片汪洋。目 击者描述石头和残骸(debris)从山上滚下来，不到三分钟就把八座 房屋吞没了。
The landslide occurred in the town of Zhongxing is Dujiangyan —one of the places badly hit by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The landslide, which covered about 2 sq km, damaged at least 11 homes. So far more than 200 residents have been evacuated. By the time patrol members arrived at the scene, a few hours after the landslide，everything was already a vast expanse of water. Eyewitnesses described stones and debris running down the hill and covering around eight homes in less than three minutes.
真题三
国家体育总局(the General Administration of Sport)在一项调查中 发现，自2010年以来，20-39岁的中国人体重增加更多——1.9千克。 这个年龄段中超过11%的人属于肥胖，这在三年的时间里就上涨了 两个百分点。
China’s young adults are gaining more weight and exercising less than their elders. Chinese from ages 20 to 39 have put on more kilograms — 1.9 kg ——than other adults since 2010，the General Administration of Sport found in a survey. More than 11% from the age group were obese, up two percentage points in only three years.
书香门第
