Some couples spend every waking minute together. Others fill their hours with personal hobbies,outside interests and even part-time jobs, just to keep their distance from each other! "There should be private time and couple time," suggests Dr. Stephen Treat at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia."You don't want your latter years to turn into a process where two people unite as one. If you hold too tightly to your partner, it's going to cause resentment and anger. If you're completely separate, you'll both be lonely and disconnected. You need balance. So you have to talk about how you'll achieve that."
The right balance? It's different for every couple. "Having a conversation about time can be difficult,but it's important for both partners to process those feelings out loud," Dr. Treat says. "You should not be accusing and act as a judge—ask the difficult questions, but do it in a loving way. You could say something like, 'How are we going to be as individuals and how are we going to be as a couple?' "
Barbara and Chris Christensen have achieved the balance that works for them. In addition to daily routines that keep them close—including about 10 minutes for a daily check-in and about a half hour of relaxation time—they each maintain separate interests and friendships.
"We have found that we need time apart," Barbara says. "I have a group of women friends that I have known for the last 30 years. We have dinner out once a month. We women also have parties and weekend or weeklong vacations as a group at a beach or somewhere. Chris, a former fighter pilot, has many aviation-oriented(航空的) groups and friends and also a poker-playing group of our friends. I may be with him during the poker night, but I don't play, and the wives usually watch a chick flick' DVD or something while the poker group has an evening of fun. We have found it important to have separate time as well as together time."The author writes the passage to ______.
| A．offer some suggestions on how to spend the time after retirement |
| B．advise couples to develop their separate hobbies |
| C．warn couples not to be accusing each other |
| D．give people some advice on how to entertain themselves after retirement |
Dr. Stephen suggests that _________after retirement.
A．couples s tay together all the time |
| B．couples express their feelings in a loving way |
| C．couples be separate |
| D．wives make many friends |
It can be inferred that________.
| A．many couples are faced with problems after retirement |
| B．America has a large population of retired people |
| C．most people join various social groups after retirement |
| D．playing poker is a popular activity among retired people |
Barbara and her friends do the following EXCEPT_______.
| A．having dinner regularly |
| B．holding parties |
| C．having weekly vacations at the beach |
| D．having fun playing poker |
The second paragraph is mainly intended to_______.
| A．warn the husband not to act as a judge |
| B．suggest couples have discussions about difficulties |
| C．suggest how to keep the correct balance |
| D．require couples to be considerate |
The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals. All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs.
This comes after a national law was passed to give prison sentences to people who desert cats or dogs.
“The civilization of a city can be measured by this,” said Monica Carina, the councilor behind the new law.
The newspaper reported that round bowls don’t give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind.
“Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world. It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals that deserve over respect and pity every bit as much as dogs and cats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical treatment of Animals.
Lat year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines and prison sentences. Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules.
The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to $598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day.
The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn’t leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs’ tail to make them look lovelier. The law also gives legal recognition to the “cat ladies” who feed homeless cats. The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modern office car parks.The new law passed in Rome will _________.
| A．guarantee better conditions for goldfish |
| B．help improve fishing environment |
| C．stop people from catching goldfish |
| D．discourage keeping goldfish at home |
People in Rome believe that the civilization of a city can be judged by _________.
| A．exchanges with other cities |
| B．Protection of ancient ruins |
| C．recognition of animal lovers |
| D．awareness of animal protection |
People may break the law in Turin if they _____________.
| A．keep their dogs or cats in cars |
| B．shut their dogs home all day long |
| C．raise their cats near ancient ruins |
| D．feed homeless animals in car parks |
In early autumn I applied for admission to college. I wanted to go nowhere but to Cornell University, but my mother fought strongly against it. When she saw me studying a photograph of my father on the sports ground of Cornell, she tore it up.
“You can't say it's not a great university, just because Papa went there.”
“That's not it at all. And it is a top university.” She was still holding the pieces in her hand. “ But we can't afford to send you to college.”
“I wouldn't dream of asking you for money. Do you want me to get a job to help support you and Papa? Things aren't that bad, are they？”
“No，” she said. “I don't expect you to help support us.”
Father borrowed money from his rich cousins to start a small jewellery shop. His chief customers were his old college friends. To get new customers, my mother had to help. She picked up a longforgotten membership in the local league of women, so that she could get to know more people. Whether those people would turn into customers was another question. I knew that my parents had to wait for quite a long time before their small investment (投资) could show returns. What's more, they had not wanted enough to be rich and successful; otherwise they could not possibly have managed their lives so badly.
I was torn between the desire to help them and change their lives, and the determination not to repeat their mistakes. I had a strong belief in my power to get what I wanted. After months of hard study I won a full college scholarship (奖学金). My father could hardly contain his pride in me, and my mother eventually gave in before my success.The author was not allowed to go to Cornell University mainly because______.
| A．his father graduated from the university |
| B．his mother did not think it a great university |
| C．his parents needed him to help support the family |
| D．his parents did not have enough money for him |
The father started his small shop with the money from ______.
| A．a local league | B．his university |
| C．his relatives | D．his college friends |
Why did the mother renew her membership in the league?
| A．To help with her husband's business. |
| B．To raise money for her son. |
| C．To meet her longforgotten friends. |
| D．To better manage her life. |
Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies' two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using Xray facilities (设备) to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing Xray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother's assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity (辐射能). Irene JoliotCurie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?
| A．Because she received a degree in mathematics. |
| B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded. |
| C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic. |
| D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother. |
Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?
| A．At the Curie Institute. |
| B．At the University of Paris. |
| C．At a military hospital. |
| D．At the College of Sévigné. |
When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born ?
| A．In 1932. | B．In 1927. |
| C．In 1897. | D．In 1926. |
In which of the following aspects was Irene Curie different from her mother?
| A．Irene worked with radioactivity. |
| B．Irene combined family and career. |
| C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once. |
| D．Irene died from leukemia. |
A tourist comes out of the airport．There are a lot of taxis，but the tourist asks every taxi—driver his name．He takes the third taxi．It costs￡5 from the airport to the hotel．“How much does it cost for the whole day?” the tourist asks．“￡100”，says the taxi-driver．This is very expensive，but the tourist accepts the price．
The taxi—driver takes the tourist everywhere．He shows him all monuments and all the museums．In the evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi-driver￡100 and says，“What about tomorrow?” The taxi-driver looks at the tourist．“ Tomorrow? It’s another ￡100 tomorrow” But the tourist says，“That’s OK．If that’s the price，that is the price．See you tomorrow．”The taxi—driver is very pleased．
The next day the taxi-driver takes the tourist everywhere again．They visit all the museums and all the monuments again．And in the second evening they go back to the hotel．The tourist gives the taxi—driver another￡100 and says，“I’m going home tomorrow．”The taxi-driver is sorry．He likes the tourist and，above all，￡100 a day is good money．“So you are going home．Where do you come from?” he asks．
“I come from New York．”
“New York!” says the taxi-driver，“I have a sister in New York．Her name is Susannah．Do you know her?”
“Of course I know her．She gave me ￡200 for you．”The tourist is____．
| A．an Englishman | B．an American |
| C．a Chinese | D．a Frenchman |
The tourist asks every taxi-driver his name because______．
| A．he knows of one of the taxi-drivers |
| B．he wants to remember all of the taxi-drivers’ names |
| C． he is afraid of being cheated |
| D．there is a friend of his among the taxi drivers |
Why is the taxi-driver very pleased with the tourist?
| A．His sister has brought so much money to him． |
| B．His sister knows the tourist． |
| C．None but the tourist agrees to the price given without arguing with him． |
| D．He wants to be the guide of the tourist． |
We can conclude that ______．
| A．the tourist will give the taxi-driver another￡200 |
| B．the taxi-driver insists that the tourist should pay him another￡200 |
| C．the tourist will give the taxi—driver half of the sum |
| D．the tourist makes fun of the taxi—driver |
One day a teacher was giving her young students a lesson on how the government works. She was trying to explain the principle of income tax (收入税).
“You see ,” she began , speaking slowly and carefully , “each person who works must pay part of his or her salary (薪水) to the government . If you make a high salary, your taxes are high. If you don’t make much money, your taxes are low .”
“Is that clear?” she asked. “Does everyone understand the meaning of income tax?” The students nodded.
Are there any questions?” she asked. The students shook their heads.
“Very good!” she said.” “Now, I would like you to take a piece of paper and write a short paragraph on the subject of income tax.”
Little Joey was a slow learner. He had lots of problems with spelling and grammar, but this time he at least seemed to understand the task.. He took his pen and after a few minutes, he handed the teacher the following composition:
Once I had a dog. His name was Tax. I opened the door and in come Tax.The teacher was trying to explain _______one day.
| A．everyone should pay income tax |
| B．how the government works |
| C．the basic principles of the income tax |
| D．how much tax one should pay for his income |
After the teacher’s explanation,__________.
| A．not all the students understood the meaning of income tax |
| B．many of the students were still puzzled |
| C．all the students shook their heads |
| D．few students disagreed with their teacher |
The students were asked__________.
| A．to write a composition on “income tax” |
| B．to answer some questions on income tax |
| C．to say something about income tax |
| D．to explain the principle of income tax |
Little Joey __________.
| A．wrote a paragraph about his dog |
| B．grasped what income tax meant |
| C．was clear about the subject |
| D．did as what he was told to do |