A woman renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’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 in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, and then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this 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 lab 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 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 (依托) 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.What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
| A．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was. |
| B．The recorder was impatient and rude. |
| C．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced. |
| D．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society. |
How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
| A．curious | B．indifferent | C．puzzled | D．interested |
How did the author feel when describing her job to the clerk?
| A．calm | B．panic-stricken | C．confident | D．cool |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
| A．Because the author cared little about rewards. |
| B．Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab. |
| C．Because she thought the author did admirable work. |
| D．Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of. |
What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. |
| B．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect. |
| C．To show that the author had a grander job than Emily. |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work． |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? ____. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. __
__. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
____. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. __
__ . A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area — until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
____. It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.
| A．On the other hand, black is depressing. |
| B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up — we are born with our preference. |
| C．The rooms are painted in different colors as you like. |
| D．If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. |
E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods---there is no doubt about it
Trouve sat up on its back legs and growled(吼叫) the words, “How are you, Grandmamma?” The audience roared with laughter and clapped. Twenty-year-old Aleck gave the dog a morsel(一口) of food. His hard work had paid off. His dog could talk!
Aleck was fascinated with the different sounds of people’s speech. His father taught students who had a speech problem to improve their speech. Aleck paid close attention. Could an animal form sounds into words, too? He decided to experiment with Trouve, the family dog.
The easy part was teaching Trouve to growl whenever Aleck wanted. The little dog growled for a morsel of food.
Next Aleck moved the dog’s “lips” as it growled. It sounded like “ma mama”. Trouve learned quickly to stop the growling just as Aleck’s hand moved away. They practiced and practiced until the dog said “mama” perfectly.
Soon Aleck discovered more. If he pushed gently under the dog’s jawbone(下颌骨), it made the “ga” sound. If he pushed once and moved the dog’s lips twice, he could make the dog say, “ga mama.” With even more practice, it sounded like “grandmamma”. Whenever Trouve said “grandmamma”, Aleck gave the dog two treats, so Trouve loved the lessons.
Aleck tried to teach his dog to move its tongue so that Trouve could say more words. That didn’t work, but Aleck didn’t give up.
After many hours of practice, Trouve could say, “Ow ah oo ga-ma-ma?” This sounded just like “How are you, Grandmamma?”
Friends and neighbors traveled to see young Aleck and his amazing talking dog. Rumors spread that the dog could speak by itself, which wasn’t true. No matter how much Aleck tried, the dog was never able to move its lips without help.
Aleck’s full name was Alexander Graham Bell. He wanted to know more about the world all his life. He had many ideas. Some worked; others didn’t. But he kept trying—always learning. One of his inventions was something called the telephone. Which of the following is TRUE of Aleck?
| A．His father had an influence on him. |
| B．He had a talent for giving speeches. |
| C．He taught Trouve to talk in honor of his grandmother. |
| D．He carried out many experiments to improve people’s speech. |
Trouve grew fond of practicing talking because _____.
| A．it liked being together with Aleck |
| B．it was given some food for that |
| C．it would like to develop its potential（潜能） |
| D．Aleck treated it like one of the family |
Which of the following words can best describe Aleck?
| A．Humorous. | B．Naughty. |
| C．Knowledgeable. | D．Curious. |
What contributes most to Aleck’s success in teaching the dog to talk?
| A．His own hard work. | B．His neighbor’s help. |
| C．His father’s encouragement. | D．The dog’s smartness. |
According to the passage, how many statements are true?
a. The audience was very excited to hear the dog growling the sound “ma”.
b. The dog could understand Aleck’s sign.
c. The dog could move its tongue successfully by itself.
d. Aleck kept trying his ideas all the while.
e. The only intention of Aleck’s is telephone.
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
Fair Way
The Westborough High School golf team had taken the official photos with the state prize. The other teams, disappointed, were on the bus heading home. And then Westborough instructor Greg Rota noticed something wrong on one of the score cards. A 9 had been recorded as A 7. They were not the state prize winner; Woburn High had won. “No one would have known,” said Woburn’s instructor, Bob Doran. For Rota, it wasn’t a difficult decision: “The prize wasn’t ours to take.”
Coin Stars
“College students are lazy, but they also want to help,” says University of Pennsylvania graduate Dana Hork. So she made it easy, placing cups in rooms where students could leave their spare coins, and handing out cups to first-year students to keep in their homes. Her “Change for Change” effort has collected $40,000 for charities, which were decided upon by students.
Never Forgotten
A school in Massachusetts received a $9.5 million check from Jacques LeBermuth. But it took officials several days of digging to discover his connection to the school. Records showed the LeBermuth came from Belgium and studied in the school in the 1920s. When his family fell on hard times, he was offered free room and board. LeBermuth became a trader, owned shares of AT&T and lived off the earnings until he died, at age 89. What did Greg Rota probably do in the end?
| A．Took photos of Doran. | B．Had a meeting with Doran. |
| C．Returned the prize to the organizer. | D．Apologized to Woburn High School. |
Greg Rota’s decision shows that he was _____.
| A．honest | B．polite | C．careful | D．friendly |
The underlined word “Change” in the second paragraph means _____.
| A．Idea | B．Decision | C．Cups | D．Coins |
What did the school officials do after receiving the check from Mr. LeBermuth?
| A．They tried to find out why he gave them the money. |
| B．They went to Belgium to pay their respects to him. |
| C．They dug out the records that were buried underground. |
| D．They decided to offer their students free room and board. |
Jacques LeBermuth gave the money to the school because ____.
| A．the school asked for it |
| B．he had no need for that much money |
| C．the school had helped him in the past |
| D．he wanted to be remembered by the students |
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition （学会）of each new skill in the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing．It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child．This might happen at any stage．A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads．On the other hand, though, if a child, is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself．
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children．Some may be especially strict in money matters; Others are severe （严格的） over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals．In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness．
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching．To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality （道德）．Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept"．If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach （说教）, their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled．
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills.
| A．will make the child lose interest in learning new things |
| B．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child |
| C．is universal among parents |
| D．should be avoided |
In the process of children’s learning new skills, parents.
| A．should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read |
| B．should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own |
| C．should expect a lot from the children |
| D．should create as many learning opportunities as possible |
In terms of moral matters, parents should.
| A．follow the rules themselves |
| B．be aware of the huge difference between adults and children |
| C．always ensure the security of their children |
| D．forbid their children to follow hook teachings |
●Putting Movies on Mobiles
Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars．But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm —the first mobile film festival.
The first MoFilm competition, received 250 entries from more than 100 countries．Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length－ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones．An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers．The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones．
●New Platforms
The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry．Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films．They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works．
It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression seen by a wide audience．Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!
●New Technology Advances
MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood．The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size．However this could be overcome as technology advances．
In the near future, longer films will likely oe seen on the mobile phone．And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality．
Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the qualify of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere．At the first MoFilm, _____．
| A．movies in the theater got their recognition |
| B．more than 100 countries took part in the competition |
| C．ideal films were five minutes or less in length |
| D．the winner was chosen by experts' voting |
"They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．" The underlined word means "_____"．
| A．discouraged | B．encouraged |
| C．frightened | D．surprised |
Nowadays the majority of films made for mobiles are short in length because of_____．
| A．online services | B．the mobile phone |
| C．technology advances | D．the screen size |
What's certain about the future of MoFilm according to the passage?
| A．The number of mobile phone users may contribute to the popularity of MoFilm． |
| B．Audience is not likely to watch longer films on mobile phones in the near future． |
| C．Some mobile companies are on the way to producing mobile films of higher quality． |
| D．Grassroots filmmakers can achieve their career success more easily starting from MoFlim． |