As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1．The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A．show the relationship between parents and children
B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C．report on the findings of a study
D．give information about family problems
2．Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A．they are busy serving food to their children
B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C．they have to pay more attention to younger children
D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
3．By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle
children _________.
A．have to help their parents to serve dinner
B．get the least attention from the family
C．are often kept away from the dinner table
D．find it hard to keep up with other children
4．Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A．why TV is important in family life
B．why parents should keep good order
C．why children in small families seem to be quieter
D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
5．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A．It is important to have the right food for children.
B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
Many of us have heard of the saying: everything is possible if you can just believe. But few of us really know the power of faith and perseverance(坚定). South African swimmer Natalie du Tiot embodies(体现)those virtues.
Du Tiot, 24, became the first swimmer to compete in both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics (残奥会)in Beijing. Although she finished 16th in the tough 10km marathon in the able-bodied Games, she has collected three golds in the Paralympics so far.
One of the most successful disabled athletes of all time, Natalie du Tiot was already a promising swimmer when she lost her leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001, at just 17.
“There are a lot of dark moments,” she said, “There are some days when I cry. But I try to remember that better days are ahead. You just go on.”
Within a few months, she was back in the swimming pool.
She still completes and still succeeds. The only difference is she has switched to longer events—from 200m and 400m individual medley to 800m and 1,500m freestyle—to make up for her loss of speed with only one leg. But she made no adjustment to her mental look(精神面貌).
“Going out in the water, it feels as if there’s nothing wrong with me. It doesn’t matter if you look different. You’re still the same as everybody else because you have the same dream.”
She is the owner of many world records, and she also won gold when competing against able-bodied swimmers in the 1,500m freestyle at the All African Games in 2007.
But there is no magic recipe(秘诀) for success. It all comes down to hard work and determination. “She is stubborn, which is good and bad,” said her coach Karoly Von Toros. “Good for the swimming, but bad for the coach.”
There is a poem that hangs on her wall that reads:
The tragedy (悲剧)of life does not lie in not reaching your goals;
The tragedy of life lies in not having goals to reach for. Natalie du Tiot is a vivid example that____________________.
| A．you are what you believe |
| B．your biggest enemy is yourself |
| C．results are not so important as the process |
| D．you must set reasonable goals or you will fail |
According to the text , Natalie du Tiot became________________.
| A．the first athlete to compete with able-bodied swimmers in the world |
| B．the youngest disabled swimmer to break the world record in the 1,500m freestyle |
| C．the youngese disabled swimmer to collect three golds in a single Paralympics |
| D．the first swimmer to compete in both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics |
Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Natalie du Tiot？
a. She won gold at the All Africa Games.
b. She finished 16th in the tough 10km marathon in the Olympics
c. She adjusted herself to long events.
d. A motorcycle accident disabled her.
| A．cdab | B．dcba | C．dcab | D．dacb |
In dark moments it was_______________ that pushed her on.
| A．her coach | B．her family | C．hope and faith | D．her love of swimming |
According to a report published on the British medical magazine, The Lancet, a study of 10 German mobile phone users found that when they turned on their phones, their blood pressure goes up by 5—10 millimeters of mercury (水银柱). The word “The Lancet” is probably ______.
| A．the name of a magazine | B．the name of the research team |
| C．the name of a hospital | D．the title of a medical report |
Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb, both your mind and your body can become stronger. The word workout underlined in the last paragraph most probably means________．
| A．settlement | B．exercise | C．excitement | D．tiredness |
Remember that people on line may not be who they seem, because you can't see or even hear the person. It would be easy for someone to misrepresent himself/herself. Thus someone who says that “she is a 12-year-old girl.” could really be an old man.The underlin
ed word misrepresent means _____.
| A．making a wrong judgment about | B．understanding somebody wrongly |
| C．giving a wrong description of | D．forming a wrong opinion about |
The sun was shining as Kevin walked to the old bench(长凳) where he met Mike
every aft
ernoon after school. They were good friends and loved to play football. They didn’t have enough money 
to buy a real football, but Mike had made a ball out of old socks covered with a piece of plastic. It wasn’t beautiful, but it worked well. The two friends didn’t stop kicking and running until very late.
The next afternoon, Mike and Kevin met again at the old bench. Soon the home-made ball was spinning(旋转) across the grass as the boys laughed and shouted happily. The ball was stopped by a boy wearing a nice pair of sneakers(运动鞋). Kevin was upset when he saw it was Steven.
The next morning, Kevin’s mother gave him an envelope(信封). “Your uncle sent you a birthday present,” she smiled. Kevin’s eyes grew big when he saw the $100 bill. Later that day, a pair of new sneaker lay next to his chair, and in the corner, a real football.
The next afternoon, Steven invited Kevin to play football on the field next to the library. Steven did not want Mike to join them only because Mike’s sneakers were dirty and he was not good at football. When the game was over, Kevin and Steven walked past the old bench where Mike was sitting. Steven picked up a stone and threw it at him. Kevin, holding his new football in his hands, walked on and did not look back.
One afternoon, as Kevin walked past the old bench, he saw something lying under it. He looked closer and saw it was the home-made ball. Kevin was full of sorrow at the sight of his old home-made ball, and he let out a sad sigh(叹气). As his sadness turned to anger, he picked up his new football and kicked it into the air. Kevin kicked it so hard that it flew past the library and over the school gate. Then Kevin walked to the bench and picked up his home-made ball. Holding it in his hands, Kevin sat down and waited.The best title for this passage is ______.
| A．A Home-Made Football | B．Playing Football |
| C．Two Close Friends | D．A New Football |