OnAugust27,1783,thepeopleofthe-优题课

Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.
She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. “I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts（工作班次） are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”
So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6 a.m. five nights a week for just ￡90, before tax and insurance. “It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”
The hours she’s chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.
Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either. “I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful.”
The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. “Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself——and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”
Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living. “They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret. “I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more. I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”
1. Margaret quit her job as a nurse because _______.
A. she wanted to earn more money to support her family
B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure
C. she needed the right time to look after her children
D. she felt tired of taking care of patients
2. Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because _______.
A. they never clean their offices B. they look down upon cleaners
C. they never do their work carefullyD. they always make a mess in their offices
3. When at work, Margaret feels _______.
A. light-hearted because of her fellow workers B. happy because the building is fully lit
C. tired because of the heavy workload D. bored because time passed slowly
4. The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _______．
A. help care for her children B. regret what they had said
C. show sympathy for her D. feel disappointed in her

第四部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
People realize that, although animals may not have the same intelligence(智力)as human beings, they are smart enough to learn certain things.
Dogs are extremely useful as companions for blind people. When a dog has been properly trained, he will always lead his blind master in the right direction and keep him out of danger. For example, seeing-eye dogs learn never to cross a busy road when cars are coming, even if their master ordered them to do so.
Horses are also able to learn many things. Horses that are used for guard or police duty must learn never to be frightened of noises, traffic, and other disturbances. Racing horses are able to run much faster than other horses, but they are also quite high strung(易紧张). Therefore, it is necessary for those pepole who train them to be very patient and understanding.
The moving pictures and television can use trained animals too. Some animals, such as monkeys and foxes, are easy to film. All you have to do is to make a trail in front of the camera by dragging something that smells good to the animals over the ground. Big animals, such as lions and tigers, can be photographed as they bound happily back to their families and dinner. If a movie actior is nearby, the well-trained animal will pay no attention to him. However, the audience may imagine that the actor escaped a terrible death by the skin of his teeth.
1. Dogs who help blind people must learn_______.
A. to obey all orders B. to obey only safe orders
C. never to cross roads D. to cross road when ordered to do so
2. Race horses are hard to train because they are .
A. faster than other horses B. smaller than other horses
C. clever than other horses D. more nervous than other horses
3. What does “ make trail” mean here in the last paragraph?
A. place something to attract the aninmal B. give the animal a certain task
C. order the animal to do things D. follow the animal to hunt
4. Lions can be photographed easily when_______.
A. they are following a trial of something that smells good to them
B. they are returning to their families
C. they have been trained to work with other animals
D. they do not know a movies-actor is nearby

YOUR mom might cook a bowl of noodle for you on birthday. But in the US, a mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday.
Cupcakes are small, round cakes topped with frosting. It has been an American tradition that moms bring cupcakes to celebrate their child’s birthday.
But recently some doctors have called for this to be banned. They believe cupcakes contribute to child obesity.
Despite their good intentions, however, some people believe that experts are interfering with American culture. The cupcakes is seen as American as apple pie only prettier.
According to Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York university, the cupcakes is the most democratic of desserts. As they are small enough for one person, you don’t have go share your cupcake with anyone –it’s all yours. They are also all the same size, so there can’t be any cries of “she got the bigger piece!”
Each bite can taste different depending on how much icing you have. It is a lesson in self determination. Some people eat only a little of the frosting every time, other have it all in just one bite.
In recent years, eating a cupcake has become as trendy as having a cup of Starbucks coffee.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton jokingly promised on a talk show that if she was elected president, a he would give everyone a cupcake on her birthday.
Ruth Reichl, editor---in----chief of gourmet magazine, explains that the rise of the cupcake is very much about going buck to American national identity in food, which is all about comfort. “People want to about when they and their country were innocent,” she said.
1. According to the passage, it has been an American tradition that_______.
A. a party for children is held on their birthday
B. A mom cooks a bowl of noodles for her children on their birthday
C. A mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday and brings it to the classroom
D. parents go traveling with their children on their birthday
2. Why do doctors ask people to ban cupcake on children’s birthday?
A. Because they themselves don’t like cupcake
B. Because they think cupcakes are not so delicious
C. Because they believe cupcakes will cause cries of “she got the bigger piece”.
D. Because they believe cupcakes are one of the causes to make children become fat.
3. The following are true according to Marion Nestle expect that ______
A. the cupcake is more democratic than any other deserts in the US
B. the cupcake is too small to share with others
C. the sizes of cupcakes are the same so it is equal to everyone
D. cupcakes will lead to child obesity so they should be banned
4. Why did the writer mention Hillary Clinton and Ruth Reichl?
A. To arouse the readers’ attention
B. To show that cupcakes are becoming a popular to show kindness and comfort.
C. To make a comparison between them
D. To give readers a general idea of cupcakes

In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and answers interesting.
One morning I got into three different taxis and announced, “Well, it’s my first day back in New York I seven years. I’ve been in prison.” Not a single driver replied, so I tried again. “Yeah, I shot a man in Reno.” I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, but nobody asked. The only response came from a Ghanaian driver, “Reno? That is in Nevada?”
Taxi driver were uniform sympathetic when I said I‘d just been fired. “This is America,” a Haitian driver said. “One door is closed. Another is open.” He argued against my plan to burn down my boss house. A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope; he refused to take me to the middle of the George Washington Bridge-a $20 trip. “Why you go there? Go home and relax. Don’t worry. Take a new job.”
One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tired calling a taxi five times outside different banks. The driver picked me up every time. My ride with a Haitian driver was typical of the superb assistance I received.
“Let’s go across the park.” I said. “I just robbed the bank there. I got $25,000?” he asked.
“Yeah, you think it was wrong to take it?”
“No, man. I work 8 hours and I don’t make almost $70. If I can do that, I do it too.”
As we approached 86th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.
“Hey, there is anther bank,” I said, “Could you wait here a minute while I go inside?”
“No, I can’t wait. Pay me now.” his unwillingness may have had something to do with money –taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low----but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can’t expect unconditional support.
1. From the Ghanaian driver’s response, we can infer that______.
A. he was afraid of the author B. he though the author was crazy
C. he looked down upon the author D. he was indifferent to the killing
2. Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to take the author to the middle of the George Washington Bridge?
A. Because he was able to help the author to find a new job.
B. Because he wanted to go home and relax.
C. Because he thought that the author would commit suicide.
D. Because it was far away from his home.
3. In the author’s opinion, the driver’s unwillingness “to wait outside the chemical Bank indicate ______.
A. The driver thought it wrong to support a taxi rider unconditionally
B. The driver was frightened and wanted to leave him as soon as possible
C. The driver did not want to help a suspect to escape from a bank robbery
D. The driver thought that the rate for waiting time was too low
4. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A. the way to please taxi riders
B. the way to deal with taxi riders
C. taxi driver’s attitude to riders in personal trouble
D. taxi driver’s attitude to troublesome taxi riders

Embracing a 'naked marriage'
Zhang Yi, a 28-year-old editor at the fashion magazine Sunshine, imagined her boyfriend's proposal like this: In a nice restaurant, he gets down on his knees, flourishes a diamond ring and asks: "Will you marry me?"
She would then scream, and with tears of joy in her eyes, throw herself into his arms.
But the reality was totally different. Her boyfriend simply said: "My mother has asked us to register for the marriage certificate as soon as possible."
Zhang agreed – and that was it.
"I understand my husband has little money. Besides, I love things to be simple. So I agreed," Zhang says.
The couple took a day off and registered their marriage. Instead of a banquet, their wedding ceremony was a 100-yuan ($15) dinner at a small restaurant where they first met.
Wang Zhiguo, chief marriage consultant at China's largest matchmaking website baihe.com, believes “naked marriages” benefit society. "It teaches young people the core spirit of marriage - love each other deeply, no matter rich or poor," Wang says, adding that some newlyweds save marriage costs for other expenses like their children's education, traveling or charity.
Wang thinks, however, that naked marriages may affect a relationship's stability.
"If we see a marriage as a contract, it includes three items: love, responsibility and a material base. Any missing link will lead to some problems in the relationship between husband and wife."
Wang suggests that if a couple's financial situation does not permit them to build a solid material base, an exchange of tokens(象征) is necessary for a long-lasting relationship.
1. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Zhang is inconsiderate towards her husband.
B. There is no long-lasting relationship without any token of love.
C. Doing without a ring, apartment and car, is becoming more acceptable to young people who want to get married sooner rather than later.
D. Newlyweds should save money for traveling or charity.
2. What is Wang’s attitude towards naked marriages?
A. positive B. negative C. indifferent D. neutral
3. What is a naked marriage?
A. Getting married without clothes on.
B. A simple marriage with little material support.
C. A contract including love, responsibility and a material base.
D. A marriage without love, responsibility or a material base.
4. The author arranges the article with .
A. stories and explanation B. facts and descriptions
C. examples and conclusion D. evidence and argument