Motherhood is a career to respect
A WOMAN renewing her driver’s license at the CountyClerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a...”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation... ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate (研究员) in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement (声明) was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with interest, “just what you do in your field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (激励) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants – ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood... What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door. How did the female clerk feel at first when the writer told her occupation?
| A．Cold-hearted. | B．Open-minded. |
| C．Puzzled. | D．Interested. |
How many children does the writer have?
| A．3 | B．4 | C．7 | D．13 |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect to the writer?
| A．Because she thought the writer did admirable work. |
| B．Because the writer cared little about rewards. |
| C．Because the writer did something that she had little knowledge of. |
| D．Because she admired the writer's research work. |
What is the point of the article?
| A．To show that how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. |
| B．To show that the writer had a grander job than Emily. |
| C．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career. |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work. |
Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbacks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbooks, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems . Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.
1It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
A. TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge.
B. cinemas are the best choice in getting information.
C. reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun.
D. newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself.
2 What does the sentence “Television has not killed reading, however” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?
A. People only need reading, though. B. Reading is still necessary today.
C. Reading is more fun than television D. Watching television doesn’t help reading.
3Which of the following is mainly discussed in the last paragraph?
A. Types of books B. Kinds of dictionaries.
C. Lists of history books D. Collections of stories and poems
4What can we learn from the passage?
A. Fewer and fewer people will buy books.
B. A good dictionary should be kept in every home.
C. Books with hard covers sell better than paperbacks.
D. More people like TV programs about famous men.
Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities（设施）to the full.
Dining Room
Breakfast is served in the dining room from 8 to 9:30 a.m.. Alternatively, the room staff will bring a breakfast tray to your room at any time after 7 a.m., if you place an order for it by telephone. In this case, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door when you go to bed. Lunch: 12:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Telephone:48752
Room Service
This operates 24 hours a day. Phone the Reception Desk, and your message will be passed on to the room staff.
Telephone:48759
Telephone
To make a telephone call, dial 0 for Reception and Laundry (洗衣店), and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putting calls through when the staff are very busy. There are also public telephone booths (电话亭) near the Reception Desk. Early calls should be booked with Reception.
Shop
The hotel shop is open for souvenirs（纪念品）, gifts and toiletries（化妆品）from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Telephone:48687
Laundry
We have a laundry on the premises（附属）and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to phone the laundrymen to collect them.
Telephone:48867
Bar
The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.. The Reception staff will cash cheques and exchange money in many foreign currencies（货币）.
1The announcement mainly gives us information about ________.
A. facilities in the hotel B. providing passengers all kinds of service
C. the ways of serving D. carrying out the promise of the hotel
2The card in a bedroom of the hotel is announced that _________.
A. you should keep silence when walking past the room
B. the passenger of the room is taking a rest
C. the waiters mustn’t enter the room
D. any visitors won’t bother the hotel guest
3You have arrived to stay at the hotel at 2 a.m., and want a snack (快餐), What should you do ?
A. Go to the hotel shop. B. Go to the hotel bar.
C. Give a message to the waiter. D. Phone Reception
Sydney—Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction (分心的事) to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school offices. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.
1 Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones________.
A. because they are students B. when they are free
C. when they are at school D. because they are young
2 We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from________.
A. the makers and sellers B. some other strangers
C. their parents and friends D. some mobile phone users
3 Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t _______ during school hours.
A. use their mobile phones B. leave their mobile phones
C. help the teachers with their work D. get in touch with their children
4 The underlined word “they” in the fifth paragraph refers to________.
A. many teachers B. some messages
C. mobile phones D. some students
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分；共30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A man walks into a doctor’s office. He has a cucumber (黄瓜) up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear. “What's the matter with me?” he asks the doctor. The doctor replies, “You’re not eating properly.”
This is a popular joke among British school children. It shows Britain's famous dry and satirical (讽刺的) way of seeing the funny side of life. People say this unique sense of humor is one of Britain's national characteristics.
The British sense of humor is different from other countries because it is often more negative. When it comes to making the British laugh, there is nothing that works better than a socially inappropriate (不恰当的) joke. It reflects the culture where mocking (嘲弄) is part of everyday life.
While most Britons don’t take these jokes too seriously, foreigners often don’t understand them. A recent survey found that most foreigners who visited Britain think the British are “unfriendly and have almost no sense of humor”.
Are the British just not as funny as they think they are? Leo McKinstry, a British journalist, thinks the British are funny. “Accusing the British of having no sense of humor is like telling Rolls-Royce (劳斯莱斯) that its cars are cheap and not good in quality,” he says.
1 What does the doctor actually mean by the remark “You’re not eating properly”?
A. What you have had is the cause of these problems. B. You are not having the right food.
C. You don’t eat the way people usually do.D. You eat with the wrong cutlery. ( 餐具 )
2 The word “dry” in Paragraph 2 means ________.
A. without water or liquid inside B. special and popular among school children
C. dull and meaningless D. funny and clever while seeming to be serious
3 Why do most visitors, who once visited Britain, think that the British are unfriendly?
A. Because the British always take things seriously.
B. Because the British have no sense of humor.
C. Because the British are cold and difficult to get along with.
D. Because the British have a different sense of humor.
4 Which of the following is NOT the characteristics of British humor?
A. dry and satirical B. negative and mocking
C. encouraging and gentle D. clever and witty
When should a child start learning to read and write? This is one of the questions I am most frequently (屡次地) asked. There is no hard and fast rule, for no two are alike (同样的), and it would be wrong to set a time when all should start being taught the intricacies (错综复杂的事物) of reading letters to form words.
If a three-year-old child wants to read (or even a two-year-old child for that matter), the child has the right (权利) to be given every encouragement (鼓励). The fact that he might later be “bored” when joining a class of non-readers (非读者) at child school is the teacher’s affair (事情). It is up to the teacher to see that such a child is given more advanced (高级的) reading material.
Similarly, the child who still cannot read by the time he goes to junior school at the age of seven should be given every help by teachers and parents alike. They should make certain that he is not dyslexic (having difficulty in reading 诵读困难的).
Although parents should be careful not to force youngsters (儿童) aged two to five to learn to read (if badly done it could put them off reading for life), there is no harm in preparing them for simple recognition (识别) of letters by labeling (标识) various items in the their rooms. For instance (比如), tie a nice piece of cardboard to their bed with BED written in neat (整齐的), big letters.
Should the young child ask his parents to teach him to read, and if the parents are capable (足以胜任的) of doing so, such an attraction (吸引) should not be ignored (对……不予理会). But the task should never be made to look like a hard job and the child should never be forced to continue, or his interest should start to flag (变弱).
1 This passage is mainly about ____ .
A. what qualities people teaching children reading should have
B. difference age groupings of children to be taught reading
C. when and how children should be taught reading
D. various problems of children who start learning to reading
2 In the writer’s opinion, children start learning to read ____ .
A. early and fast B. at different time C. by a certain rule D. from word games
3 A three-year-old child who wants to read should ____ .
A. be encouraged B. go to an infant school
C. start from fun stories D. join a class of non-readers
4The purpose of labeling items in the room is to ____ .
A. make it more colorful
B. teach children to write neatly
C. help children recognize simple letters
D. force children to develop the habit of
5 The writer suggest that ____ .
A. children should ask their parents to teach them to read
B. children should not feel bored if given advanced reading material
C. children starting to read should ask specialists for help
D. children should be taught with patience , care and a sense of humor