LONDON---Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent fast-forward.
Their full school day and her job as a lawyer’s assistant are busy enough. But Hangner also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.
Often,the exhausted family doesn’t get home until 7 p. m. There is just time for a quick supper before homework
In today’s world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.
Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.
"Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress, "says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.
Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It’s a very serious problem.
Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four.
"There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child’s potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down," says Terry Apter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist(青少年精神病专家).“It isn’t entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behavior is now well accepted.”
1.From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that ________.
A.Hanger wastes much time helping her children’s lessons
B.Hanger doesn’t spend much time on her full time job
C.Hanger is interested in sports and music
D.Hanger busies herself by following a trend
2.British parents, as the writer described in this passage, ________.
A.treat their children as sports players
B.pay no attention to their children’s lessons
C.bring up their children in a simple way
D.give their children little time to develop freely
3.The writer’s opinion of after-school clubs is that _________.
A.activities in the country are too competitive
B.children should attend four clubs at a time
C.some clubs lead to competitive pressures
D.clubs should have more subjects for school children
4.The last paragraph tells us that in Britain______
A.parents used to take their children to every club.
B.parents used to be wise on how to raise children
C.parents have all benefited from children’s clubs.
D.parents have come to know the standard of education
When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.
.So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that so, too, does crying.
Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional (情感的) health, and crying seems to study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and friendly and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don't even know we' re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through Crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying — holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering — can be bad for physical (身体的) health, Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don't fight it. It's a natural— and healthy — emotional response (反应).Why didn't the author cry when her grandmother died?
A.Because her father did not --ant her to feel too sad. |
B.Because she did not love her grandmother. |
C.Because she was too shy to cry at that time. |
D.Tie author doesn’t give the explanation. |
According to the author, which of the following statements is true?
A.Crying is the best way to get help from others. |
B.Fighting back tears may cause some health problems. |
C.We will never know our deep feelings unless we cry. |
D.We must cry if we want to reduce pressure. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A.Power of Tears | B.How to Keep Healthy |
C.Why We Cry | D.A New Scientific Discovery |
Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be good for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .
A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . “On the pets’ side , they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).
Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . “My customers love them. They are their favorites ,” she said . “They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun .”
Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ,” he said .
Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is
A.73% | B.27% | C.25% | D.15% |
We know from the text that “BJ”
A.works in the Global Hair Salon | B.often greets the passers-by |
C.likes to sleep in the sun | D.is a two-year-old cat |
The best title for this text would be .
A.Pets Help Attract Customers | B.Your Favorite Office Pets |
C.Pets Join the Workforce | D.Busy Life for Pets |
Reading is very important to help you learn English. To learn as much as you can from reading, you need to read different kinds of English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to check your reading ability.
There are four parts in the book:
Part 1 is Messages: In this part somebody wants to wad information in writing to somebody else. There is a test on timetables and a test on text messages.
Part 2 is People: In this part all the tests are about people. For example, there is an informal letter between friends. There is formal ( 正式的) English in biography ( 传记). There is a job application as a model to help with your writing, as welt as testing your reading.
Part 3 is Places: In this part, too many different kinds of English are shown, some informal and some formal. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a letter of complaint.
Part 4 is Things: You will find some descriptive writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and of a computer.
You can do these tests in any order you like, or you can do alt the tests with a formal or informal text. I enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy using it,We can find the introduction to a product in ______,
A.Part 1 | B.Part 2 | C.Part 3 | D.Part 4 |
Which of the following is most probably written in informal English?
A.A letter of complaint. | B.A computer handbook. |
C.A letter to a friend. | D.A story of a president. |
The passage is most probably written for _____.
A.test designers | B.students | C.test-takers | D.teachers |
What is the best title of the book?
A.Test Your Reading | B.Help with Your Writing |
C.Learn Different Kinds a/English | D.Practise English in Different Ways |
Television has opened windows in everybody’s life. 55Millions of people now have seen the effects of a battle. And the result has been a general dislike of the war and perhaps more interest in helping those who suffer from all the terrible things that have been shown on the screen.
56The most distant areas can now follow state affairs, see and hear the politicians before an election. Better informed, people are more likely to vote, and so to make their opinion count.
57 Children do not have enough experience to realize that TV shows present an unreal world, that TV advertisements lie to sell products that are sometimes bad or useless. They believe and want to practice what they see. 58.
All educators agree that the “television generation” are more violent than their parents and grandparents. Also, the young are less patient. Used to TV shows, where everything is quick and interesting, they do not have the patience to read an article without pictures, t read a book that requires thinking, to listen to a teacher who doesn’t do funny things like the people on children’s programs. And they expect all problems to be solved happily in ten, fifteen , or thirty minutes.59 .
A.Unfortunately, television’s influence has been extremely harmful to the young. |
B.Young men will never again go to war as they did in 1914. |
C.That’s the time it takes on the screen. |
D.They do believe that the violence they see is normal and acceptable. |
E. People have become used to crimes now.
F. Television has also changed politics.
G. In the past, many young people were willing to be soldiers.
The Bedouin people think most highly of people who show loyalty. To them loyalty does not mean that one is devoted to a country, a place, or a leader. Loyalty means being faithful to one’s family and tribe(部落)。
The Bedouin people take pride in their ancestors(祖先)。 They do not admire a hero from an ordinary or poor family as much as one who comes from an honored family. They particularly respect those who have received a good name from their ancestors and then have passed it on to their children.
A man’s position among the black-tent people depends upon his ancestors, relatives, and fellow tribesmen. If they are honored, he is also honored. If they are disgraced, he too is disgraced. Therefore one carefully guards the honor of his family, his lineage(血统),and his tribe.
A man can protect his family’s honor by being brave and generous and by giving protection to those who ask for it. He also guards it by carefully watching the women of his family.
A Bedouin woman cannot bring honor to her family, but she can bring disgrace. Even if a woman only looks as if she has done wrong, she may be killed. The honor of her family depends upon her virtue(美德)。It can be inferred from the passage that a Bedouin man will feel disgraced if he____.
A.does not succeed in business |
B.needs to ask for help from his brothers |
C.does nothing when a member of his family is badly treated |
D.does not help a stranger who asks for assistance |
The Bedouin people respect those who____.
A.leave their families to seek success on their own |
B.value their families more than anything else |
C.become heroes with an ordinary family background |
D.are devoted to their country |
We can learn from this passage that Bedouin women are____.
A.treated as the equals of men |
B.listened carefully when they tell their side of a story |
C.respected for the many things they do |
D.not respected as much as men |
The word “disgrace” means “____” in this text.
A.honor | B.danger | C.pride | D.shame |