Contrary to the impression that grandmothers are delighted to help their grown daughters and care for their grandchildren, a study of multigenerational families shows that many older women hate the frequent demands that the younger generations make on their time and energy.
“Young women with children are under a lot of pressure these days, and they expect their mothers to help them pick up the pieces,” noted Dr.Bertram J.Cohler, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago.“This is often the strongest source of complaint on the part of Grandmother, who has finished with child caring and now has her own life to live.Grandmothers like to see their children and grandchildren, but on their own time.”
Dr.Cohler is director of a study, sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, of 150 workingclass families that live in a Midwestern suburb.He and Dr.Henry U.Gruebaum of Harvard Medical School, have already completed their study of four such families in New England.
Dr.Cohler tells of a middle-aged Boston woman who works as a cook all week and for her parish (教区) on Sundays.Every Saturday, her one day off, her daughter and family visit, expecting mother to make lunch, shop, and visit.“That's not how she wants to grow old,” said Dr.Cohler, who was told by the older woman, “My daughter would never speak to me if she knew how angry and unhappy I get.”
In all the four New England families studied, the older women disliked the numerous phone calls and visits from their grown daughters, who often turned to the mothers for advice, physical resources, love, and companionship as well as baby-sitting services.“American society keeps increasing the burdens for older people, particularly those in their 50s and 60s,” Dr.Cohler said in an interview here.“They're still working and they're taking care of their grown children and maybe also their aged parents.Sometimes life gets to be too much.”
67.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the expression “pick up the pieces” in the second paragraph?
A.Save a bad situation. B.Put children's toys in their proper places.
C.Gather up pieces of clothing. D.Keep the room in good order.
68.The middle-aged Boston woman ______.
A.expects her mother to cook lunch for her
B.enjoys the room in good order
C.visits an older woman every Saturday
D.works six days a week
69.The passage is mainly about ______.
A.young women's inability to look after their children
B.Grandmothers' attitudes toward helping their grown daughters
C.average American women's family life
D.grandmother should give more help to their daughters
70.From Dr.Cohler's study we may reach the conclusion that ______.
A.daughters should be independent of their old grandmothers
B.grandmother should give more help to their daughters
C.mothers and daughters should support each other
D.daughters should be more considerate toward their mothers
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people’s memories are affected.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war.
They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people’s memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.The passage is mainly about.
A.a new medical invention |
B.a new research on the pill |
C.a way of wiping out painful memories |
D.an argument about the research on the pill |
The drug tested on people can.
A.cause the brain to fix memories |
B.stop people remembering bad experiences |
C.prevent body producing certain chemicals |
D.wipe out the emotional effects of memories |
We can infer from the passage that.
A.people doubt the effects of the pills |
B.the pill will certainly stop people's emotional memories |
C.taking the pill will do harm to people's physical health |
D.the pill has already been produced and used by the public in America |
Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with in the last paragraph ?
A.some memories can ruin people's lives. |
B.people want to get rid of bad memories. |
C.experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
D.the pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. |
The national assistance system for poor college students is getting more effective as proved by fewer phone calls to the hotline of the National Center for Student Assistance Administration.
"Poor college students and their parents are getting more satisfied with the national assistance system," said Ma Wenhua, deputy director of the administration, on Saturday. Over the past three years, the hotline received 8,488 calls. Statistics show 62 percent of the calls were made to ask about the funding policy, while 38 percent (3,200 calls) complained local colleges had failed to abide by the rules to support the students.
Complaints were seen a year-on-year decrease from 2006 to 2008. Ma said some poor families might still overlook what they should do to get support for their child. To ensure education equality, the government has introduced a set of favorable policies to help poor students, such as scholarships, grants, student loans, tuition waivers(学费全免) and the work-study programs under which poor students are helped out in libraries, teachers' offices or service departments to earn money.
Statistics show the government spent 29.3 billion yuan last year to aid college students, up 7.6 percent from the previous year. Around 40 million persons of college students received the national aid.
The Ministry of Education of the government would ensure that no students drop out of colleges or universities because of poverty.
Among the 20 million students in the country's public and private universities and colleges last year, about 20 percent came from poor backgrounds, official figures show.The national assistance system is set up ___.
A.for parents and students to complain |
B.to help poor college students |
C.for poor students to get free education |
D.to help students find jobs |
The underlined phrase "abide by" in the second paragraph probably means ____.
A.follow | B.break | C.bear | D.agree to |
From the passage, we know that ____.
A.students will drop out of university because of poverty |
B.Chinese poor college students are more satisfied with national assistance system |
C.more and more parents are complaining about their local colleges |
D.college students are suffering from great economic pressure |
To protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and inspected. Your bag was among those selected for inspection.
During the inspection, your bag and its contents may have been searched for items forbidden by law such as fireworks, fuels, gunpowder, etc. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag, which was resealed (重新封口) with a “special” lock.
If the TSA screener was unable to open your bag for inspection because it was locked, the screener may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, and has taken care to reseal your bag upon completion of inspection. However, TSA is not liable for damage to your locks resulting from necessary precaution.
For packing tips and other suggestions that may assist you during your next trip, visit: www.tsatraveltips.us.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation .If you have questions, comment,or concerns , please feel free to contact the Transportation Security Administration Consumer Response Centre:
Phone: toll-free at (866)289-9673
Email:telltsa@tas.dot.gov
Section 110(b)of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001,49
USC&44901(c)-(e)The leaflet(宣传单) is trying to __________.
A.introduce one of the security acts |
B.persuade people to contact TSA |
C.warn against the damage of locking the baggage |
D.inform people of baggage inspection |
The leaflet is most probably provided by TSA to those who __________.
A.had their baggage selected for inspection |
B.refused to have their baggage checked |
C.kept some damaged items in their baggage |
D.left their baggage unlocked |
The underlined word “liable” means ___________.
A.suitable by law | B.permitted by law |
C.responsible by law | D.prepared by law |
For packing tips and other suggestions, visit __________.
A.telltsa@tas.dot.gov | B.www.tsatraveltips.us |
C.toll-free at (866)289-9673 | D.TSA Consumer Response Centre |
You’re finishing up your history homework when your cell phone rings. You’ve got 30 minutes to reach head-quarters, get your equipment packed and receive your task. There’s a lost hiker in the mountains near the edge of town. Your task: find the missing person; provide emergency medical treatment, if necessary; and be prepared to operate 48 hours on your own with only the supplies you carry.
Sounds like some kind of film’s plot? Not if you’re a member of the Arapahoe teen rescue patrol in the suburbs of Denver. About 25 teen guys and girls are active members of this search, rescue and emergency organization, and they know firsthand that you don’t have to be an adult to save lives.
These 9th-through-12th graders are the real deal when it comes to emergency services. In fact, they’re the only teen-commanded patrol in the nation. Sure they have adult advisers to turn to if necessary, but in the field it’s a teen patrol officer calling the shots — sometimes even giving direction to adults.
Members are trained in rock-high-angle,swift-water and avalanche rescue (雪崩施行营救), winter and alpine operation , wilderness life support and emergency care, among other skills. They also regularly ride along with the local fire and police departments, providing support such as security details and evidence searching.
When asked what qualities make a good patrol member, founder and president Stan Bush named good physical conditioning and an interest in helping people. “We put in lots and lots of hours helping people in trouble,” he says. “So if a person is not really interested in doing that kind of thing, he won’t last as a member.”In the first paragraph, the author describes ______.
A.a plot in some kind of film | B.a teen patrol member’s life |
C.an emergency rescue | D.a lost hiker in trouble |
Which of the following is NOT true about the Arapahoe teen rescue patrol?
A.They are trained to have many special skills. |
B.They also work with local firemen and policemen. |
C.They turn to adults for help sometimes. |
D.They think they can save lives only when growing up. |
If you want to become a good rescue patrol member, you must ______.
A.be strong and interested in offering help |
B.be a 9th-through-12th grader |
C.finish your history homework first |
D.spend many hours helping people first |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.What qualities make a good patrol member? |
B.The Arapahoe teen rescue patrol |
C.How to become a rescue patrol member |
D.Skills a rescue patrol member needs |
Isn’t it cool to surf (冲浪) in summer? You catch a wave and enjoy the ride. Surfing is not only our favorite sport, though. A group of penguins (企鹅) enjoy the sport as much as we do. And they show their excitement and skills in the new animated film —Surf`s Up, which came out on June 6, in the US.
Cody loves the sport. Cody’s idol (偶像) is Big Z, a great penguin surfing king. Cody doesn’t like his brother and his mother who are not supportive. He really wants to get away. Cody believes that winning a surfing competition will bring him admiration and respect. When Mikey Abromowitz, a talent scout (侦察员), comes to Antarctica to look for talented penguins for a surfing competition, Cody’s really excited, but during his show there are no waves and he doesn’t make it. But he knows he can’t give up. He runs after Mikey’s whale and begs until Mikey agrees to take him.
There Cody meets Lani, the island’s beautiful lifeguard, as well as his main rival (对手), the surfing champion Evans. The cocky Evans shows no respect for Big Z, which makes Cody angry. For this, he challenges Evans to a surfing match, only to suffer a terrible defeat.
Lani takes Cody to the island doctor. As they spend time together, Cody realizes that this doctor is really Big Z himself. When he learns this, Cody begs him to train him and make him a better surfer.
Cody begins to find his own way. Cody improves his skills with the help of Big Z and discovers that a true winner isn’t always the one who comes in first.The passage mainly tells us ______.
A.that winning can bring you good luck and respect |
B.how a penguin can be a good surfer |
C.about a new animated film —Surf`s Up |
D.about the life of a teenage penguin called Cody |
Which of the following statements about Big Z is NOT true?
A.He is a great penguin surfing king. |
B.He doesn’t help Cody with surfing although Cody begs him. |
C.He works as a doctor after he leaves surfing. |
D.He is loved by the teenage penguin Cody. |
The underlined part “doesn’t make it” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
A.feels very sad | B.can’t breathe freely |
C.is not successful | D.can’t continue surfing |
Which of the following statements about Cody is NOT true?
A.He likes surfing and lives in Antarctica. |
B.He thinks winning will win him the respect of others at first. |
C.He gets along well with his brother and his mother. |
D.He is defeated by Evans in a surfing match. |