More surprising, perhaps, than the current difficulties of traditional marriage is the fact that marriage itself is alive and thriving（旺盛的）. As Skolnich notes, Americans are a marrying people: relative to Europeans, more of us marry and we marry at a younger age. Moreover, after a decline（衰退）in the early 1970s, the rate of marriage in the United States is now increasing. Even the divorce（离婚）rate needs to be taken in this pro- marriage context: some 80 percent of divorced individuals remarry. Thus, marriage remains by far the preferred way of life for the vast majority of the people in our society.
What has changed more than marriage is the nuclear family. Twenty- five years ago, the typical American family consisted of the husband, the wife, and two or three children. Now, there are many marriages in which couples have decided not to have any children, and there are many marriages where at least some of the children are from the wife’s previous marriage, or the husband’s, or both. Sometimes these children spend all of their time with one parent from the former marriage; sometimes they are shared between the two former spouses （配偶）．
Thus, one can find every type of tamely arrangement. There are marriages without children; marriages with children from only the present marriages; marriages with “full - time” children from both the present and former marriages; marriages with“full- time”children from the present marriage and“ part- time”children from former marriages. There are stepfathers, stepmothers, half- brothers and half - sisters. It is not all that unusual for a child to have four parents and eight grandparents! These are enormous changes from the traditional nuclear family. But even so, even in the midst of all this, there remains one constant: most Americans spend most of their adult lives married.By calling Americans a marrying people the writer means that ________.
| A．Americans are more traditional than Europeans |
| B．Americans expect more out of marriage than Europeans |
| C．there are more married couples in the USA than in Europe |
| D．more of Americans, as compared with Europeans, prefer marriage and they accept it at a younger age |
Divorced Americans ________ .
| A．prefer the way they live |
| B．will most likely remarry |
| C．have lost interest in marriage |
| D．are the majority of people in the society |
Which of the following can be presented as the picture of today’s American families？
| A．Which types of family arrangements have become socially acceptable. |
| B．A typical American family consists of only a husband and a wife. |
| C．Americans prefer to have more kids than before. |
| D．There are no nuclear families any more. |
In the UK, a group of campaigners(活动家)have declared the last Saturday in November as National Buy Nothing Day. “Our message is clear: shop less, live more!” says organizer Michael Smith. “The challenge is to try simple living for a day. Spend time with family and friends, rather than spending money on them. Anyone can take part, provided they spend a day without spending.”
On Buy Nothing Day, they take to the streets to tackle consumers(消费者). They dress as pigs to symbolize greed(贪婪). They offer to cut up credit cards and hand out shopping bags with the words “another useless thing I don’t need” written on the side. Some hold street parties to show shoppers that it is possible to have fun without spending money. Others go into shops and put notes saying “don’t buy me” inside clothes and shoes.
Some protestors(抗议者) are working against powerful forces. Many retailers(零售商) and manufacturers depend on Christmas sales for most of their profits. Around two thirds of GDP in the West is made up of consumer spending. If this drops, many people will lose their jobs. At least that will make it easier for them to buy nothing.
And there is also the risk that the campaigners will be seen as killjoys, who want to stop people enjoying themselves. “There’s a fun side to this,” says Michael Smith. “To some it’s a protest, but it’s also a street party. We’re not saying that people are bad because they go shopping, but we need get the message across for people to consume wisely. And after we’re finished, we’ll probably go for a drink.”Why do a group of people in the UK choose Saturday as National Buy Nothing Day?
| A．Because they have enough food at their homes. |
| B．Because it is the season for shopping. |
| C．Because they have run out of money at that time. |
| D．Because it’s popular to live a simple life. |
In order to persuade people to stop shopping, the campaigners _____.
| A．stop people going out |
| B．have different ways to make it |
| C．offer goods to people freely |
| D．play tricks on consumers |
The underlined word “killjoys” in the last paragraph refers to people who _____.
| A．ruin the happiness and fun of others |
| B．get money from shopkeepers |
| C．bring happiness to others |
| D．take no interest in shopping |
The campaigners started National Buy Nothing Day for the purpose of _____.
| A．persuading people to kill time in a different way |
| B．persuading people to save money |
| C．persuading people to have more parties |
| D．persuading people to spend money wisely |
INTERNATIONAL TRADE OF PANLAND
EXPORTS
Considering all imports and exports, what statement can be made about Panland’s trade?
| A．Panland imports food and exports raw materials. |
| B．Panland imports manufactured goods and exports food. |
| C．Panland imports manufactured goods and exports raw materials. |
| D．Panland imports raw materials and exports manufactured goods. |
With which of the following does Panland carry on the most trade?
| A．Asia. | B．Africa. | C．Middle East. | D．United States. |
Judging from its economy, it could be concluded that most of Panland’s working people are _____
| A．farmers | B．fishing people | C．unskilled laborers | D．skilled factory workers |
It was only 5 o’clock in the morning. The house was quiet and Tim' s mother was still asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He’d dreamt of the cave last night. The purring (轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He' d eat after he' d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches-but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she’d want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael’s. Back tonight, Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn't up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sand hills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched (延伸) across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious (神秘的) now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn't go in all the way...What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
| A．He put a sweater in his schoolbag. | B．He left the house quietly. |
| C．He had breakfast at home. | D．He left a note on the freezer. |
"He settled for some biscuits” (in Paragraph 3 ) means that Tim_______.
| A．had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches |
| B．liked biscuits better than sandwiches |
| C．had to leave the biscuits on the table |
| D．could only find some biscuits in the kitchen |
What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
| A．The height of the first rocks. | B．The ups and downs of the waves. |
| C．The vast stretch of the sunlit beach. | D．The change in the position of the sun. |
In the story, Tim’s mood changed from_________.
| A．loneliness to craziness | B．anxiousness to excitement |
| C．eagerness to nervousness | D．helplessness to happiness |
“To be or not to be.” Outside the Bible, these six words are the most famous in all the literature of the world. They were spoken by Hamlet when he was thinking aloud, and they are the most famous words in Shakespeare because Hamlet was speaking not only for himself but also for every thinking man and woman. To be or not to be, to live or not to live, to live richly and abundantly, or to live dully and meanly. A philosopher once wanted to know whether he was alive or not, which is a good question for everyone to put to himself occasionally. He answered it by saying: “I think, therefore I am.”
But the best definition of existence I ever saw was one written by another philosopher who said: “To be is to be in relations.” If this is true, then the more relations a living thing has, the more it is alive. To live abundantly means simply to increase the range and intensity(强烈) of our relations. Unfortunately we are so constituted that we get to love our routine. But other than our regular occupation, how much are we alive? If you are interested only in your regular occupation, you are alive only to that extent. So far as other things are concerned --- poetry and prose(散文), music, pictures, sports, unselfish friendships, politics, international affairs ---you are dead.
On the contrary, it is true that every time you acquire a new interest --- even more, a new accomplishment(成就) --- you increase your power of life. No one who is deeply interested in different kinds of subjects can remain unhappy. The real pessimist is the person who has lost interest.
Bacon said that a man dies as often as he loses a friend. But we gain new life by contacts with new friends, and new ideas and thoughts, too. Where your thoughts are, there will be your life too. If your thoughts are limited only to your business, only to your physical welfare, only to your narrow circle of the town in which you live, then you live a narrow restricted(有限的, 受约束的) life. But if you are interested in what is going on in China, then you are living in China. If you’re interested in the characters of a good novel, then you are living with those highly interesting people. If you listen intently to fine music, you are away from your immediate surroundings and living in a world of passion and imagination.
To be or not to be --- to live intensely and richly, or merely to exist, which depends on ourselves. Let us widen and intensify our relations. While we live, let us live!What does the author mainly want to do by this passage?
| A．Argue against an idea. |
| B．Explain some famous sayings. |
| C．Introduce some famous sayings. |
| D．Put forward an idea. |
What does the underlined word most probably mean?
| A．Somebody who always lives in a world of passion and imagination. |
| B．Somebody who is always interested in making new friends. |
| C．Somebody who always expects the worst to happen. |
| D．Somebody who likes to live a rich and abundant life. |
Which of the following behavior is probably NOT encouraged by the author?
| A．Thinking more than your own business. |
| B．Caring only about your physical welfare. |
| C．Reading good novels. |
| D．Listening to fine music. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．To be is to be in relations. |
| B．I think, therefore I am. |
| C．To be or not to be, that is a question. |
| D．A man dies as often as he loses a friend. |
As they migrate, butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may use some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate(补偿, 弥补). Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found that butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help farmers decide when to spray their crops.What's the main idea of the text?
| A．Insects migrate with the seasons. |
| B．The wind helps insects greatly in migrating. |
| C．Windsurfing insects have real direction. |
| D．Scientists have trouble in observing insects. |
Scientists originally thought that _____.
| A．insects always waited for their favorable winds |
| B．insects chose the winds they wanted to ride |
| C．insects were just blown about by the wind |
| D．insects positioned themselves in the winds |
It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because ______.
| A．the little creatures can fly very fast |
| B．their flight is long and high above ground |
| C．the wind's direction is hard to forecast |
| D．they have no regular migrating courses |
According to the passage, the findings can ____
| A．increase insects in number |
| B．instruct farmers when to spray their crops |
| C．prevent climate warming |
| D．help protect insects |