Annual holidays have become a luxury and are no longer a staple of family life, according to government research．
A getaway of a week or more is no longer considered essential by many families and is often beyond their reach, said the analysis of what parents and children say they really need．Fashionable clothes for the children, expensive birthday parties and lots of toys are also on the list of luxuries familie
s don’t have to have．Instead, recession-hit parents are thinking of the future, and the things they want for their children centre around learning to behave properly, good education and good health．
Their picture of what a family ought to have includes a space to eat together away from the television, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and bicycles so children can get exercise．
The breakdown of necessities and luxuries was prepared by researchers from the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP) who were trying to establish an up-to-date picture of what parents say they really need．
Their findings show how families have scaled down their expectations in the face of economic difficulties — how parents are now concentrating their attention and money firmly on the long-term interests of their children．Many believe that while it is vital for a family to do things together, day trips or weekend breaks are enough．
Spending on furniture or decorating the house was also considered luxurious, unless the state of the home was so bad it became difficult to invite visitors in.
Instead, researchers said: A family home should have an area where the family can eat together, not on their laps in front of a television．Families should be able to go on outings, overnight trips and possibly short holiday: the fact of being able to share these experiences is more important than the precise activity and its cost．It can be inferred that ______________.
| A．a week or more holiday is considered beyond many families’ reach |
| B．children hardly ever need fashionable clothes and lots of toys |
| C．what a family should have is basic things that they must have |
| D．annual holidays were once considered necessary and vital |
In the opinion of most parents, _____________.
| A．families can watch TV together in order to keep up their relationship |
| B．day trips or weekend breaks are enough for families to share experiences |
| C．their expectations should be increased in the face of economic difficulties |
| D．a week’s holiday is an essential minimum during the financial crisis |
Which of the following is TRUE of the researchers from the DWP?
| A．They confirm many families still need at least a week away on holiday each year. |
| B．They learn it is insignificant for a family to do things with each other regularly. |
| C．They want to know what parents really need in the face of economic difficulties. |
| D．They found spending on furniture or decorating the house was thought valuable. |
We can conclude from the last paragraph____________.
| A．being able to share experiences is important for families |
| B．a family needs at least a week away on holiday each year |
| C．a family home should have a comfortable area to watch TV |
| D．going on outings and overnight trips is wasting time for families |
What does the author mainly discuss in the text?
| A．Cycling is very important for children’s health. |
| B．Family holidays once a year have become a luxury. |
| C．It is vital for parents to eat together with children. |
| D．Parents are concerned with children’s future. |
When looking at Western Europe，we don’t usually think about poverty—but in fact，some people in modern—day Britain are so hard up that they can’t afford to buy food．
Back in 2008,the financial crisis caused a lot of unemployment．Then there were the cuts to the welfare system in 2013 which added to the problem—and many British people fell into debt．It’s estimated that 500，000 people in the UK have turned to food banks，just to get by．
Steph Hagen，who works in a Nottingham food bank，says, “People do not go to a food bank because it's an open door．It’s a case where they go to it because they need to．With our food bank—we are an independent one．and we have limited stocks—everyone who comes through our door has no income．”
There are checks to make sure nobody is abusing the system．If a doctor or a social worker thinks someone needs to use a food bank—even for a short time—they can give them vouchers(凭证)．Then the people in need take them along to the food bank and they get handouts for three days．
Churches and individual donors provide most of the food in the banks．But some businesses might help out too．
And what sort of food is offered in food banks? Hagen says, “Basically，we’ve got porridge．We do occasionally get fresh produce but it’s very rare，especially in the winter months．It’s like tinned fruit，tinned ready meals．We have to give out ‘no-cooking’ food parcels because people can’t afford the gas and electricity”．
Community spirit has a lot to do with food banks．Volunteers say they are a great meeting place for people who are lonely and depressed．And when facing a crisis，some beneficiaries might need to feed not only their belly—but also their soul．According to the text，the food bank is a place_____．
| A．which is funded by the government |
| B．where people can get food randomly |
| C．which helps poor people live through crisis |
| D．where there is enough food supplies |
What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．Systems． | B．Doctors． |
| C．Social workers． | D．Vouchers． |
Why do food banks mainly offer “no-cooking ” food?
| A．Poor people have no money for gas and electricity． |
| B．The volunteers hate to supply cooked food． |
| C．Food banks can’t afford cooked food． |
| D．This kind of food is easy to store． |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Community spirit can cure those who are depressed． |
| B．Food banks benefit poor people mind and body． |
| C．People can have great fun in food banks． |
| D．Volunteers tend to feel lonely and depressed in food banks． |
Jean is a bright young lady who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything. The problem is that the people in Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous (匿名), talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent her a picture of himself: He was a tall, good-looking young man with a big happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was only a ten-year-old boy named Jim!Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is .
| A．rich | B．young | C．lonely | D．talkative |
The following states are true about Jean EXCEPT that according to the passage.
| A．she is a university student |
| B．she was born in a wealthy family |
| C．she made a friend named Jim younger than her |
| D．she uses her family name on her QQ |
We could believe that Jean was when seeing Jim himself instead of David on QQ at the door.
| A．delighted | B．disappointed |
| C．regretful | D．confused |
Controlling traffic is a complex and high cost problem in many developed countries. It becomes more difficult and costly with the ever- increasing number of cars on the roads. But scientists and students at the CATT, at the University of Maryland are working to solve this problem. They are using simulation(模拟) technologies to help government and private business control and react to changing traffic conditions.
The online economics magazineForbes.comsays traffic congestion(拥挤) cost Americans $ 124 billion in 2014 and that number could rise to $ 186 billion by 2030.
Bui scientists at the CATT lab are trying to reduce those costs. They are developing a system that helps traffic managers. planners, emergency workers and businesses plan and react better. Michael Pack is CATT director. He says the system is important to help emergency workers, or first responders，reach an accident area faster.
The CATT Lab collects information from many sources, including roadside devices, GPS (global positioning system) equipment and wireless phones.
About 60 students and 30 software developers observe traffic flow and manage the computer servers at all times. They also work to develop software and applications that can help traffic run smoother and safer, Some of them turn the information gathered into so-called "visualizations". These visual representations help emergency workers better understand what is happening.
The center shares its findings with firefighters, police，Transportation departments and the military. They also share information with universities and transportation company. The technology company Google uses the data for its traffic-related websites. Michael Pack says, the information is then shared with anyone who wants to help traffic run more smoothly.
Mr. Pack says the goal is to help develop an intelligent system of road signals that will communicate with each other and with vehicles on the road.The second paragraph is written to
| A．attract more people to look throughForbes.com. |
| B．tell readers whatForbes.comsays on its website |
| C．show how much money controlling costs America |
| D．prove it is very expensive for some developed countries to control traffic |
What benefit can emergency workers get from the system developed by the CATT lab?
| A．They can be safer. |
| B．They can reach an accident area faster. |
| C．They can get more advice from people. |
| D．They can share their information with others. |
Which of the following is NOT true about the developers and the students at the CATT?
| A．They observe traffic flow continuously. |
| B．They develop software and applications. |
| C．They control the computer servers occasionally. |
| D．They change the information gathered into visual image. |
1n which column of the newspaper can you read this text?
| A．Daily life. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Exploration. |
You may think, salt is just a simple cooking element we shake on our food for a little extra taste. But salt is much more than that. Without salt our muscles would not move. Our nervous systems would not operate. Our hearts would not beat.
But do not think rubbing salt in a wound will help. Doing that would be painful and not heal the wound. To rub salt in a wound is an idiom that means to purposefully make a bad situation worse.
Early humans got the salt they needed to stay alive from the animals they killed. But advances in agriculture led to a diet low in salt. So, humans needed to find other sources. Those who lived near the ocean or other natural sources for salt were lucky. Those who did not had to trade for salt. In fact, people used salt as a method of payment in many parts of the ancient world. The word "salary" comes from the word "salt".
Salt also played an important part in population movement and world exploration. Explorers understood that if they could keep food fresh，they could travel longer distances. So they used salt to preserve food and explored the world.
Salt was so important that, according to food historians. it was traded pound-for-pound for gold. Today, people still use the expressions "to be worth one's salt" or "worth one's weight in salt". The expressions describe a person of value.
A person might also be called salt of the earth. That description means he or she is dependable and trustworthy. However, when you say "I think we should take what he said with a grain of salt" you mean you accept it but maintain a degree of doubt about its truth.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Salt plays an important part in our life. |
| B．Salt makes food tasty. |
| C．Salt is considered to be part of our muscles. |
| D．Salt is sure to damage nervous systems. |
A beggar's bread was stolen last night.，which means .
| A．salt of the earth | B．rubbing salt in a wound |
| C．a diet low in salt | D．worth his salt |
If you describe a person as a great help, you mean .
| A．he is called salt of the earth |
| B．he is often taken as a grain of salt |
| C．he often uses salt to preserve meat |
| D．he is worth his weight in salt |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Salt Is More Than a Four-letter Word. |
| B．Salt Is a Basic Element in Cooking. |
| C．Salt Is a Word with a Long History. |
| D．Salt Is Popular with Different Persons. |
The World Health Organization warns that millions of people are dying every year from indoor air pollution. The WHO finds that poor cooking, heating and lighting technologies are killing millions of people each year.
Indoor air pollution results from the use of dangerous fuels and cook-stoves in the home. To help fight the problem, the WHO announced, new guidelines aimed at reducing household pollutants.
WHO officials say nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking? heating and lighting. And they say more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Of that number, the WHO says about 4. 3 million people die from household air pollution given off by simple coal cook-stoves. Most of the deaths are in developing countries.
Carlos Dora is Coordinator in the WHO's Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. He says people should not use unprocessed coal and kerosene fuel indoors. He says opening a window or door to let out the harmful air will not improve the situation. It will only pollute the outdoors.
WHO officials say indoor pollution leads to early deaths from stroke, heart and lung disease, childhood pneumonia（肺炎）and lung cancer. Women and girls are the main victims. The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Peru, are also at risk.
Nigel Bruce is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good cook-stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way.
WHO experts note some new, safe and low-cost technologies that could help are already available. In India, you can buy an induction(电磁) stove for about $ 8.00. And in Africa a you can buy a solar lamp for less than $ 1. 00.What has been done to reduce indoor air pollution?
| A．The WHO provided selfless assistance for the poor. |
| B．People are forbidden to use coal-stoves inside. |
| C．The WHO issues official advice to cut down pollution, |
| D．People are taught how to correctly use their stoves. |
According to WHO officials, we can know that
| A．many people refuse to use clean fuels and technologies |
| B．seven million people die from indoor air pollution |
| C．simple coal cook-stoves cause too many deaths |
| D．the processed coal is dangerous to people’s heath |
It can be concluded from the fifth paragraph that .
| A．most children are suffering a lot from lung cancer |
| B．solid fuels are easily producing pollutants |
| C．sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest place |
| D．some countries are at the risk of using up fuels |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．More and more will die in the future. |
| B．It is not hard to solve indoor air pollutants. |
| C．Most people cannot afford a new stove. |
| D．The WHO will take strong measures. |