The population of Boomtown doubles every 18 months. In January of 2000, its population was exactly 12, 000. At this rate, approximately when should the population reach 96, 000?
The Labor Party had its origins in the()which was formed in January,1893.
Ban Ki-moon Stepped on the Stage On January 1 Ban Ki-moon, the new secretary-general, moved into the office on the 38th floor of United Nations headquarters in New York. Most of the talk has focused on whether it is appropriate that the world’s regions should "take turns" in holding such a key post. But the more important issue is what consequences will flow from having an Asian in the top job at the precise moment that Asia emerges into the geopolitical sun.
A certain historical distance has always existed between the Asian region and the international organization. Most of New York’s energy is consumed by the Middle East and Africa, not Asia. The UN is Atlanticist in structure and sometimes in orientation.
There have been several signs in recent years, however, of a quickening of interactions between the UN and Asia. First, the end of the cold war broke the superpower deadlock in the Security Council, conjured up new confidence about the organization’s place in international relations and was followed by the establishment of two of the UN’s largest and most complex peace operations, in Cambodia and East Timor.
Second, the emergence of new and interconnected5 security threats in the region, including infectious diseases, resource scarcity, environmental catastrophes such as the 2004 tsunami, trafficking in drugs and people, and state failure, has demonstrated the advantages of international cooperation. As these threats escalate, so will the work of the UN and its agencies.
Third, as the focus of international power moves towards them6, Asian states are stepping up their engagement with the world body. The top five contributors of peacekeeping personnel are all from the UN’s Asian regional group. Both Japan and India remain intent on permanent membership of the Security Council. Most striking of all is China’s increasingly practical behavior in New York. China was once poorly represented, defensive in the Council and uninterested in peacekeeping: now it is ably represented, confident and skillful in the chamber8 and before the media, and deploys more peacekeeping personnel than any other permanent member.
This is the stage onto which Mr. Ban stepped.
Passage 2 In January 2002, during the first week of a six-month stay at the Children’ s Hospital of Philadelphia for leukemia (白血病) treatment, Michael wandered over to his hospital window in search of relaxation. The (1)______ first-grader watched a construction crew (2)______ on a 10-storey addition to the hospital. (3)______ Michael’s third-floor window, Ritchie, an iron-worker from the East Falls section of Philadelphia, (4)______ and saw "this kid with no hair (5)______ face was pressed up to the window. I waved, and he smiled and (6)______ I’ll never forget that," says Ritchie, a father of three. As winter (7)______ spring, Michael watched, fascinated (着迷), as 3,000 tons of steel (8)______ formed the skeleton of the building. One day he colored a message for the crew and held (9)______ up to the window: Hi, Local Iron Workers. I’ m Mike. Ritchie and the (10)______ crew messaged back. Over the (11)______ months, as his treatment continued, Ritchie and the crew (12)______ Michael up and cheered him with (13)______ signs like Be Strong Mike. (14)______ the construction reached the third floor, Ritchie jumped across the (15)______ between the buildings and the two had a (16)______ chat. The hard hat with the tender heart wells up (涌出眼泪) when he thinks about it. “Michael (17)______ my life,” says Ritchie. “I was a real hard-core (顽固不化的) person without a lot of sympathy. But I’d (18)______ seeing this kid every day waving at me and excited about the construction. I look at life (19)______ thanks to him. “Today Michael is a 10-year-old third-grader in complete recovery. What does he hope to (20)______ when he grows up? “A construction worker,” he says.1. A. strange B. curious C. serious D. anxious2. A. playing B. studying C. living D. working3. A. Below B. Above C. Under D. Over4. A. watched out B. watched at C. looked up D. looked down5. A. whom B. whose C. which D. that6. A. came back B. came on C. waved back D. waved on7. A. went off B. went out C. turned into D. turned to8. A. gradually B. immediately C. successfully D. usually9. A. that B. it C. one D. itself10. A. hospital B. repair C. construction D. school11. A. first B. last C. long D. next12. A. cheered B. lighted C. called D. woke13. A. discouraging B. encouraging C. surprising D. interesting14. A. Before B. Since C. While D. When15. A. ground B. floor C. space D. storey16. A. face-to-face B. hand-in-hand C. neck-and-neck D. step-by-step17. A. gave B. changed C. saved D. took18. A. pay attention to B. get down to C. be used to D. look forward to19. A. differently B. happily C. sadly D. excitedly20. A. have B. get C. be D. appreciate
On January 1, 1993, Geraldine purchased a rare stamp for $300. The value of the rare stamp increased by 15 percent each year. If Geraldine decided to sell the stamp on January of the first year in which its value had at least doubled since she purchased it, then in which year did Geraldine sell the stamp?