Until late in the 20th century most Americans spent time with people of different generations. Now middle-aged Americans may not keep in touch with old people until they are old themselves.
That's because we group people by age. We put our three-year-olds together in day-care centers, our 13-year-olds in schools and sport activities, and our 80-year-olds in senior citizen homes. Why?
We live far away from the old for many reasons. Young people sometimes avoid the old to get rid of fears of becoming old and dying. It is much harder to watch someone we love disappear before our eyes. Sometimes it’s got hard that we stay away from the people who need us the most.
Fortunately, some of us have found our way to the old. And we have discovered that they often save the young.
A reporter moved her family into a block filled with old people. At first her children were disappointed. But the reporter made banana bread for the neighbors and had her children send it and visit them. Soon the children had many new friends, with whom they shared food, stories and projects. "My children have never been lonely, "the reporter said.
The young, in turn, save the old. Once I was in a rest home (an organization where old people are cared for) when a visitor showed up with a baby, she was immediately surrounded. People who hadn't gotten out of bed in a week suddenly were ringing for a wheelchair. Even those who had seemed asleep woke up to watch the child. Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure.
Grandparents are a special case. They give their grandchildren a feeling of security and continuity. As my husband put it "My grandparents gave me a deep sense that things would turn out right in the end." Grandchildren speak of attention they don't get from worried parents. "My parents were always telling me to hurry up, and my grandparents told me to slow down," one friend said. A teacher told me she can tell which pupils have relationships with grandparents: they are quieter, calmer and more trusting.Now in an American family, people can find that___________.
| A．children never live with their parents |
| B．not all working people live with their parents |
| C．old people are supported by their grandchildren |
| D．grandchildren are supported by their grandparents |
Seeing a baby, the old people got excited because _______.
| A．they had never seen a baby before |
| B．the baby was clever and beautiful |
| C．the baby brought them the image of life |
| D．the baby's mother would take care of them |
Why are some children quieter, calmer and more trusting ?
| A．Because they have relationships with their grandparents. |
| B．Because their worried parents ask them to act like that. |
| C．Because they have nothing to worry about. |
| D．Because their teachers ask them to act like that. |
Which of the following can show the fact that the old often save the young?
| A．The old can become friends of the children and the children may not feel lonely. |
| B．The old get excited when they see a baby. |
| C．The old can cure the young when they are sick. |
| D．Babies have an astonishing power to comfort and cure. |
John Smith, an office worker, lives in Washington. He inherited (继承) a million dollars when he was 23, but he wasn’t happy at a11. When his college friends were looking for their jobs, he didn’t have to. Jack decided to living a simple life like everyone else. He gave $l0,000 of his money to a charity (慈善机构) to help poor children live a better life. Today he is 36. He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only, but he is very happy.
Up to now John has helped some children from poor countries all over the world, by sending them each $200 a month. The money was used for the children’s study, food, medicine and clothing. John receives a report each year on the children’s progress. They can write to each other. but usually the children do not speak English.
When John first heard about these children, he wanted to help them. “It was nothing special,” he said. “Until I went to these countries and met the children I was helping, I didn’t know anything about their life.” Once John went to meet a little girl in Africa. He said that the meeting was very exciting. “When I met her, I felt very happy.” he said. “And I saw that the money was used for a good cause. It brought me happiness. I want to do everything I can to go on helping those children.”. John didn’t need to look for a job .
| A．before he went to college | B．after he went to Africa |
| C．because he got a lot of money | D．before he received a report |
. John has sent them each $200 a month to help some poor children .
| A．near Washington | B．in European countries |
| C．only in Africa | D．throughout the world |
. John learned about the children’s progress by .
| A．visiting them each year | B．getting a report every year |
| C．staying with them | D．talking to them in English |
. The underlined words “for a good cause” means “” in Chinese.
| A．施舍 | B．行善 |
| C．优惠 | D．赏赐 |
. What’s the main idea of the story?
| A．Help others, and you will feel happy. |
| B．It’s necessary to write letters to poor children. |
| C．Live a simple life, and you can give others help. |
| D．It’s the most important to help the children in Africa. |
Walking round the large shop, Edith realized how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas for her father.
She that he were as easy to please as her mother, who was satisfied with perfume (香水). , shopping at this time of the year was a most job. People on your feet, pushed you with their shoulders and almost you over in their hurry in order to something cheap ahead of you.
Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter (柜台), where some beautiful ties were on . "They are silk," the shop assistant told her with a smile trying to her to buy one. But Edith knew from past that her choice of ties never pleased her father.
She moved on slowly and where a small crowd of men had gathered round a counter. She found some fine pipes on sale and the were very beautiful. Edith did not hesitate for long, although her father smoked a pipe once in a while, she believed this was to please him.
When she got home, with her small but present hidden in her handbag, it was time for supper and her parents were already table. Her mother was in great . "Your father has at last decided to stop smoking," she told her daughter happily. Edith was so that she could not say a single word.
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In 2006, a large number of new Internet sites became popular around the world. Some of these are for communication, others for entertainment(娱乐).
The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity. Through these personal websites(网址), people can share their lives, ideas and opinions on the Internet. People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writing and other forms of self-expression. Blogs also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For example, teachers use blogs to share ideas with other teachers’, as well as experiences and concerns about their work.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular last year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and a half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet last year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.
People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life professional players to compete against other teams in the league. More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The industry earns more than one billion（十亿） dollars each year from publications, memberships and other costs.The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．the most popular Internet technology in 2006 |
| B．some new ways for people to communicate or have fun on the Internet |
| C．one online game called Second Life |
| D．the high price of playing online |
Who is the owner of YouTube now?
| A．Three young men. | B．Google. |
| C．Computer users. | D．Yahoo. |
Whom does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．The people who are interested in blogs. |
| B．The people who play games on YouTube. |
| C．The people who play Second Life. |
| D．The people who are created in Second Life. |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Teachers can share ideas, experiences and concerns about their work with other teachers on any website. |
| B．More than fifteen million American teenagers play fantasy sports. |
| C．Second Life helps people get married, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school in real life. |
| D．Fantasy sports, a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team, is very popular around the world. |
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear（鞋类）in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits（展品）from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.
| Room 1 The celebrity（名人）footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Started in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting. |
Room 2 Most of our visitors are amazed and shocked by the collection of “special purpose” shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example , there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much! |
| Room 3 As well as shoes and boots the museum also exhibits shoe shaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example, there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that look like legs! |
The Footwear Library People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear. |
Where would you find a famous singer’s shoes?
| A．Room3. | B．Room 2. |
| C． Room1. | D．The Footwear Library |
All exhibits in each room .
| A．have the same shape | B．share the same theme (主题) |
| C．are made of the same material | D．belong to the same social class |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s. |
| B．Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum. |
| C．Researchers come to the Footwear Library for information. |
| D．Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the others. |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to .
| A．visit the museum | B．design shoes |
| C．do research | D．follow celebrities |
No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting.
For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints(关节) hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if the weather is fine, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come.
Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting.Which is true about weather forecasting?
| A．Weather forecasting is a way of telling what the weather will be like. |
| B．Weather forecasting is a report about the weather. |
| C．Weather forecasting is a sign of coming rain. |
| D．People can change the weather forecasting. |
Which of the following can be used here to replace the underlined phrase “on the way”?
| A．continuing | B．reducing. |
| C．coming. | D．disappearing. |
Which of the following signs can tell the weather will probably be rainy?
| A．Some birds fly high. |
| B．A rainbow appears in the morning. |
| C．The sunset is mostly red in colour. |
| D．Fogs appear in the morning just above a river. |
The best title of the passage is _______.
| A．Weather forecasting plays an important role in our life |
| B．Weather forecasting can bring people some signs of weather |
| C．Weather is forecasted only by eyes and brains. |
| D．People can predict weather by experience in daily life |