| A. Independence leading to family breakup B. Women’s easy and convenient life in USA C. No marriage for many people nowadays D. Average American families getting small E. Full freedom for young women F. Divorce--- a social problem in USA |
_________
Marriage, like other social instructions, is showing the strains of modern life. While more Americans are getting married today than ever before, the divorce rate is also disturbingly on the rise (one divorce for every three marriages last year). Why should this be so, and what, if anything, can we do to reverse this trend?__________
For most people, life is easier and more comfortable than ever before. Convenience foods from the supermarket simplify shopping and cooking. Household appliances like the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine have made housework much easier to do. Released from these household chores, many wives have found jobs outside the home. Women are achieving economic independence._______
Families, too, are simpler today. In American, it is not customary for parents to live with their married children. With our greater mobility, relatives have scattered, the parents retiring to Florida or Arizona and the young people, after they marry, going wherever their jobs or their interests take them.________
Young adult women have new freedom, too. While attending college, they often live away from home, sometimes far from their parents or their relatives. After college, they move to the city, find a job, and set up “bachelor” apartment. This is the era of women’s liberation.________
But all this freedom and affluence have had an unforeseen and in some respects a devastating effect on marriage. Men and women, no longer dependent on each other for food and maintenance, find it harder to accept the responsibilities and restraints or endurance the misunderstandings of married life. When happiness becomes misery, many couples decide to terminate their marriage through divorce. On the other hand, there is a growing trend today for couples in trouble to try to save their marriage by consulting a professional counselor. He listens patiently while they talk, knowing that only through self-understanding can they solve their problems.
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.
| Learn how to relax The right amount of stress is a necessity Share your stress Take care of yourself E. Try physical activities F. Be a participant |
_____________
Stress comes from mental or emotional activity and physical activity. It is unique and personal to each of us. You need stress in your life. Without stress, life would be dull and unexciting. Stress adds flavour, challenge, and opportunity to life. Too much stress, however, can seriously affect your physical and mental peace. A major challenge in this stress-filled world of today is to make the stress in your life work for you instead of against you. ____________
When you are nervous, angry, or upset, release the pressure through exercise or physical activities. Running, walking, playing tennis, or working in your garden are just some of the activities you might try. Physical exercise will relieve that “uptight” feeling, relax you, and turn the frowns (皱眉) into smiles. Remember, your body and your mind work together.____________
You are special. Get enough rest and eat well. If a problem is beyond your control and cannot be changed at the moment, don’t fight the situation. If you are irritable (急躁的) and tense from lack of sleep or if you are not eating correctly, you will have less ability to deal with stressful situations. If stress repeatedly keeps you from sleeping, you need a break from your daily routine to just relax and have fun, or you should ask your doctor for help. Be good to yourself.____________
One way to keep from getting aboard, sad, and lonely is to go where it’s all happening. Sitting alone can make you feel disappointed. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, get involved. Offer your services in neighbourhood or volunteer organizations. Help yourself by helping other people. Get involved in the world and the people around you, and you’ll find they will be attracted to you. You will be on your way to make new friends and enjoy new activities.____________
The best way of avoiding stress is to relax. Unfortunately, many people try to relax at the same pace that they lead the rest of their lives. For a while, forget your worries about time, productivity, and “doing right”. You will find satisfaction in just being, without struggling hard. Find activities that give you pleasure and that are good for your mental and physical well-being. Read a good book or listen to beautiful music to create a sense of peace. Forget about always winning. Focus on relaxation, enjoyment, and health.
I had a very happy day today because we had no school though it is Tuesday today. I played football with my friends on the playground in our school. Then we had a big dinner with a lot of our friends.
Today was a special day. After the bell rang for the lesson, we all sat up straight, waiting for our maths teacher. Today in former years we would place something on the top of the door so that when someone entered, it would fall onto that person. But this year, we put nothing on the top of the door. But as our maths teacher was entering, we all shouted “Take care”. The teacher got a surprise and raised his head but saw nothing. We all laughed and said “April fool”.
Early this morning I got up and woke up my sister Jane. Together we went from door to door to call on my friends. It was a day for us to play. We gathered on the square of the town with our New Year’s gift. We exchanged our gifts and played all kinds of games on the square. How happy we were!
This evening we had a Halloween party in the open. We were all dressed in witch’s outfit and wore masks. We sang and danced happily. We couldn’t figure out who was who though we were all such close friends or neighbors.
Today I gave a kiss to the girl I love most in front of all my classmates. I didn’t say anything before. But today I was brave enough to kiss her on the face with my classmates and my history teacher near at hand.
| A．Near Year’s Day It falls on the first day of the year. The year should begin happily, they say, so that it will end happily. And on the first morning of the New Year, children in Scotland, Wales and the English border countries rise early so that they may make the round of their friends and neighbors. “On January 1st,” writes a 13-year-old Scottish girl, “I always go New Year’s Gifting with my sister and friends, about four of us. I get up about 7 o’clock and call for my friends and go round the houses and farms.” |
| B．Shrove Tuesday For centuries Shrove Tuesday has been a day of high festival for apprentices (学徒) and schoolchildren. It has been a day of feasting, and cock fighting, a day for football , and rowdiness (吵闹). And it is pleasing to find that it is still a special day for children in some parts of England, where “Pancake Day (薄煎饼日),” as they call it, is kept as a school holiday. |
| C．Kissing Friday A teacher writing to the Yorkshire Post tells how after Ash Wednesday, comes Kissing Friday. A few days ago, when she arrived at a country school and was taking a mixed class of 13-year-old children in country dancing, she saw the leading boy suddenly lean across and kiss his partner, who showed no sign of embarrassment. When, as teacher, she expressed her surprise, the boy said, “It’s all right, Miss. You see, it’s Kissing Friday”. And he explained that on Friday following Shrove Tuesday any boy had the right to kiss any girl without being resisted. |
| D．April Fool’s Day |
The first day of April ranks amongst the most joyous days in the juvenile (青少年) calendar. It is a day when you hoax (愚弄) friends of yours with jokes like sending them to the shop for some pigeon’s milk, or telling them to dig a hole because the dog has died; when they come back and ask where the dead dog is, you say “April fool” and laugh at them.
E. May Day
On the first of May, in country districts, young maidens (少女) rise early and go out into the dawn, as they have done for centuries, to wash their faces in the May dew (露水). In Somerset children call this “kissing the dew”. In most places, the girls do so to ensure that they shall have a beautiful complexion (肤色) for the rest of the year.
F. Halloween
It falls on October 31. Many children attend Halloween parties. “The best thing about the party is that you should go in fancy dress, ” says a girl. The most popular dress is a Witch’s outfit, or something to do with lucky charms. It is said that one of the luckiest things at a Halloween party is for a person to come in with a lump (块) of coal.
Tips on Making a Decision
Decision-making never ends. It is an important part of everyday life, and it is how we choose our path. Sometimes we leave things to luck. Other times we take a more active role. Here are some of the ways we usually make decisions.
◆ Make a list of pros and cons（利与弊）. When you try to make a difficult decision, you can take out a piece of paper, and then list the pros and cons of each choice.
◆ Ask a friend. While I don’t think this is always true, I can see how friends can point out certain things that we may be unaware of. By getting a choice from a third party who knows us well, we can get good ideas that we didn’t take into consideration before.
◆ Some decisions require that we know more about the subject we are deciding on. Making a choice without first doing some research can turn things into a nightmare（噩梦）, so don’t hurry. Take your time to search Google or Wikipedia or find a forum（论坛）to ask a couple of questions. Be careful and check your sources.
◆ Go to an expert. Seldom are we the most knowledgeable person on a particular subject. Our friends can sometimes be no better. Investing（投资）? Talk to a market analyst. Feeling depressed? Go to see a psychologist. Not sure how to write a book? Discuss tips with other authors.
| A．Do your research. |
| B．Leave our choices to chance. |
| C．We make decisions in all kinds of ways. |
| D．These can be important questions to ask. |
E.This can help provide a bigger picture of what you are working with.
F.In this case it may be better to get advice from an expert in the field.
G.Some studies have shown that others may know us better than ourselves.
(共10分，每小题2分）从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。有两项为多余选项。
College life can become a great struggle because students have to balance school, a social life, and sometimes a job as well. The following steps could help the grades of college students.
Go to class. Why did your parents pay for your tuition or why are your parents paying their taxes for financial aid? Even when you don't feel like attending class, just go.Many classes have in-class assignments, pop quizzes, and case studies that only could be taken in class. If you are not there, you might lose points.
. College is all about multitasking. Planners can really help you to balance homework, due dates and tests. You should try to get your work done early, then you will have less stress.
Be business-like about your education. If you had a job, you would have to go to your job at 9 a.m and stay there until 5 p.m. If you did the same thing in college, you would be great. Go to class, go to the library, study seriously, at 5 p.m put away the books and go home. Once in a while you might have to work late, just like at a real job.
.Everyone studies in different ways. Some can study with a lot of noise and others want silence. Some can't even study with music on and some need dead silence. Some like the library and some like to study with friends, or even outside.
. Some students start better than they finish. They do that in order to give themselves room to slack near the end of the semester, which can be a mistake. Push yourself to do your best on every assignment. Stay on top of your game and don't lose focus.
| A． Stay organized. |
| B．Maintain 100% effort throughout the semester. |
| C．You might get participation points, and the professor will also get to know you better. |
| D． The rest of the day would be your own time. |
E. Use your time effectively and efficiently.
F. Find your own best method of studying.
G. Balance work, school and social life.