Because of the stress and strains of modern life folks today would rather watch television than get together with neighbors. Their behavior doesn't mirror TV soaps like Coronation Street and East Enders.
The Street's Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby know all their neighbors. But the Royal Mail survey shows that real-life under35s wouldn't dream of popping next door for a chat or to borrow a cup of sugar.
Three out of ten say they wouldn't know their neighbors if they saw them in the street. The same proportion would only offer to help neighbors if absolutely necessary, while thirty-onepercent don't want to get to know them better. Twenty-six percent rarely or never speak to the person next door. Thirty-five percent only talk to neighbors occasionally, and six percent actively dislike them. The older generation are still sociable, with seventy percent of over55s taking time to chat to people next door. The report says: “In the past, the British tradition of village green gossip(闲聊)between neighbors was celebrated worldwide. But there's been a clear shift away from local links by the young generation.” Londoners are least likely to be neighbors, with a third rarely or never chatting over the garden fence. People in the Midlands—where 65 percent often speak to their neighbors are most friendly.
Sociologist Jane Blakeman said: “People are working longer hours than ever before, and are traveling further to work. It leaves them far less time at home.”Almost a third of young people_______.
A.know their neighbours quite well |
B.have no idea who lives next door to them |
C.talk to their neighbours when they want to borrow something |
D.spend time chatting with neighbours like their parents |
It can be inferred that Ashley Peacock and Toyah Battersby are both_______.
A.important roles in a popular TV series |
B.famous stars in TV programmes |
C.old soap operas |
D.members of royal family |
Gossip among neighbours is still common among_______.
A.people under35s | B.people between 35 and 55 |
C.people over55s | D.people of different ages |
There is a difference between London and the rest of Britain mainly in that non-Londoners
_______.
A.would help their neighbours only when necessary |
B.are less likely to have good relations with their neighbours |
C.wouldn't travel far and find more time to chat with neighbours |
D.are more likely to keep up the old British tradition of having a chat over garden fence |
阅读下列短文,从每小题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳答案,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。A
When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old, his father, a Chicago fire chief, let him tag along on a call. Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s. Not him.
"I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr.," he says of his father.
So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8, Dekalb was excited. "I'm jumping up and down, saying, 'Mom, can I go? Can I go?'"
The experience changed Dekalb's life, he tells his dad on a visit to Story Corps. "My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off." the younger Dekalb says. "This is the life that I want to live someday."
Now 27, the younger Dekalb is living that life. He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department. Before his father retired, the pair even went out on a call together—father supervising(监督)son.
"You know, it's everything for me to watch you grow," his father says. But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced."
I received a phone call that night. And they said, 'Well, your son was at this fire.' I said, 'OK, which way is this conversation going to go? '" Dekalb Walcott Jr. recalls.
"And they said, 'But he's OK. And he put it out all by himself. Everybody here was proud of him.'
And the word went around, 'Who was out there managing that fire? Oh, that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!' So, you know, moments like that, it's heaven on Earth for a dad."
Dekalb Walcott Jr. retired in 2009. The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter. "You know, it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well, because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son."The underlined phrase tag along in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.put out fire |
B.watch basketball |
C.follow his father |
D.ask his mother’s permission |
Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of _________.
A.27 | B.21 | C.8 | D.35 |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Dekalb Walcott III wants his son to become a firefighter too. |
B.Dekalb Walcott Jr. is proud to be a second-generation firefighter. |
C.Dekalb Walcott Jr. wants to pass the torch to Dekalb Walcott III. |
D.Dekalb Walcott III is proud that his son has become an excellent firefighter. |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A.Putting Out Fire: A Challenging Job for Father and son |
B.Passing The Torch: A Firefighter Dad's Legacy |
C.Dekalb Walcott III: A Second-generation Firefighter |
D.Dekalb Walcott Jr.: A Chicago Fire Chief |
In America, Virginia Beach has all the elements of a classic seaside resort(度假胜地): brilliant beaches, a lively boardwalk, plenty of restaurants and nightspots, and amusement rides sure to appeal to kids. Many believe Virginia Beach is at its best in the off-season, when the town is less crowded but the weather is still mild.
Meanwhile, some safety tips should be followed, to enjoy the happiness and excitement the beach offers.
The number one safety tip concerns ocean safety: pay attention to Flag conditions posted on the lifeguard stands. Lifeguard post a red flag to warn when the ocean water is dangerous. Take them seriously! Tourists from land-locked regions are particularly easily attracted by the magic of the waves. However, a calm ocean can become risky without warning. Make sure you swim near a lifeguard. Swimming without lifeguard protection is almost five times as great as drowning at a beach with lifeguards.
Never swim alone. Many drownings involved single swimmers. When you swim with someone else, if one of you has a problem, the other may be able to get help, including signaling for assistance from others.
Don’t fight the current. The facts show that some 80% of rescues by lifeguards at ocean beaches are caused by currents. These currents are formed by surf and gravity, because once surf pushes water up the slope of a beach, gravity pulls it back. This can create concentrated rivers of water moving offshore. If you are caught in a rip (撕裂的)current, don’t fight it by trying to swim directly to shore. Instead, swim parallel to shore until you feel the current relax, then swim to shore. Most rip current are narrow and a short swim parallel to shore will help bring you to safety.When coming to Virginia Beach, children cannot enjoy the happiness of______.
A.walking on the road made of wood |
B.joining the nightspots |
C.Riding a horse or a pumper car |
D.Skiing in the sea |
Many people believe the best time to visit Virginia Beach may be____.
A.After autumn school term beginning |
B.In the summer vacation |
C.During the Christmas holiday |
D.In the cold winter |
From the passage we can know ____.
A.one in five persons swimming in the sea is drowned |
B.if one with lifeguard were drowning, five persons without lifeguard would be |
C.some 80% people drowning by the currents are rescued by lifeguards |
D.some 20% drowning by the currents are rescued by lifeguards |
The passage mainly tell us ____.
A.Virginia Beach has all the elements of a classic seaside resort |
B.the happiness and excitement the beach offers |
C.some safety tips when swimming in the sea |
D.the dangers for tourists from land-locked regions to swim in the sea |
When it comes to President Obama,most of his personal business is already known by the public. Personal information about his children, Malia and Sasha,however,has been kept a little more under wraps.
The New York Times recently released a list of rules that Michelle Obama has mentioned over the years that Malia and Sasha must follow during their time in the White House,as well as in general. See how the first family educates their children:
The girls must write reports about what they've seen on their trips,even if it's not required by their school.
Malia may use her cell phone only on the weekend,and she and her sister cannot watch television or use a computer for anything but homework during the week.
Malia and Sasha have to play two sports:one they choose and one selected by their mother.
Malia must learn to do laundry(洗衣服)before she leaves for college.
The girls have to eat their vegetables,and if they say they are not hungry,they cannot ask for cookies or chips later.
While these might be shocking to some,Michelle said,“They're not little princesses. It's just basic rules,boundaries, and expectations that we would have normally.”
Michelle also mentions another set of rules:
The girls must do their chores(家务),though the White House has a large staff. Malia and Sasha have chores of their own.
They must play a team sport, because it's about learning how to play on a team,how to lose and how to win gracefully.
It sounds like Michelle and Barack want the best for their kids and to make them as well rounded as possible. What are your thoughts on the Obama family rules?What's the passage mainly about?
A.The first family rules. |
B.The first family daily life. |
C.How to be good parents. |
D.How to be good children. |
What do the underlined words “under wraps” in Para 1 probably mean?
A.Attractive. | B.Secret. |
C.Calm | D.Public. |
What has to be followed after the girls' every trip?
A.Emails | B.Reports. |
C.Homework. | D.Photos. |
Which of the following is the exception for the girls?
A.To learn to do laundry. |
B.To play two sports. |
C.To use cell phone freely. |
D.To eat their vegetables. |
Son’s Help
Mr. Lang worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling(赌博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup(拘留所), he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him. It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Lang didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his five-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen. ―“I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, ―“so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”Mr. Lang was paid much because _______.
A.he worked in a factory |
B.he had a lot of work to do |
C.he had worked there for a long time |
D.he was a driver |
Mrs. Lang did all housework because _______.
A.she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling |
B.she couldn’t find any work |
C.she thought her husband was tired |
D.her husband spent all time in gambling |
The woman had to leave Mr. Lang because _______.
A.he wouldn’t stop gambling |
B.he had been put into lockup |
C.he was hardly sent away by the factory |
D.he didn’t love her any longer |
Which of the following is right?
A.The boy thought his father needed some policemen. |
B.The boy hoped his father would stop gambling soon. |
C.The boy hoped his mother would come back. |
D.The boy hoped his father would be put into lockup again. |
A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.
Men often discover their affinity(亲密) to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:” Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.
A good book is often the best urn(瓮)of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.
Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift(筛) out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good.
Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were, in a measure, actors with them in the scenes which they describe.
The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed(加以防腐处理) in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which one still listens.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “immortality”?
A.difficult to find | B.last for a long time |
C.very important | D.hard to destroy |
How do we get close to the greatest minds through reading?
A.by talking to them about what we thought |
B.by experiencing what they have gone through in life |
C.by sharing their feeling and reading their minds |
D.by acting with them on the stage |
What is the best title of this text?
A.Companionship of books |
B.Life without books |
C.Unforgettable books |
D.Sorting out books |
This passage is mainly developed by __________.
A.analyzing causes |
B.making comparisons |
C.examining differences |
D.following the order of importance |