In this century the traditional American family is constantly faced with the threat of breakdown. Some sociologists suggest that one little – noticed cause may be the introduction of the TV dinner.
Before the appearance of television seats, the American dinner was a big event for the family. In many homes dinner time may be the only time when everyone got together. A typical dinner was usually in three stages. In the preparation stage, the children and Father frequently helped with setting while Mother put the last touches on the roast. In the eating stage, family members shared the day’s experiences and more than food was consumed. In this stage families got to know one another and made joint decisions around the dinner table, and thus the family solidarity（团结） was strengthened. In the cleaning – up stage, children or Father again gave their hands, so that their significance to the home community was clear. Unfortunately, all of these have been erased by a product—the television set.
By the beginning of the 1980s, the typical American family dinner was just twenty minutes long. The speed – up of this once – leisurely experiences is clearly connected to the overall pace of modern life and maybe a model of the modern life is the TV dinners—meals designed to be consumed between the opening and closing credits of a half – hour program. The once family affair has now become nothing more than the use of a fork and knife.According to the passage, the American family is now threatened by .
| A．poverty | B．having few children | C．poor living conditions | D．separation |
In the past, Americans tended to .
| A．spend more time eating their food at dinner table |
| B．eat more food than they have today |
| C．spend more time talking about their day’s experience at dinner table |
| D．talk so much that they forgot to eat |
The shortening of the dinner time in America is related to .
| A．the TV programs | B．the pace of modern life |
| C．the wide use of household appliances | D．the popularity of fast food |
The best title for this passage might be .
| A．Talk At Dinner Table | B．TV Dinner |
| C．Pace Of Modern Life | D．Problems Caused By TV |
It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don’t understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways, that they are too serious and too strict with their children, and that they seldom give their children a free hand.
It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young. For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it.
Young people often make their parents angry with their choice in clothes, in entertainment and in music. But they do not mean to cause any trouble: it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted. That’s why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy.
Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say, “Yes” to what you do. All you want is to be felt alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control. If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do.____are to blame for the quarrels between parents and their children according to this passage.
| A．Parents |
| B．Young people |
| C．Both parents and their children |
| D．Neither parents nor their children |
According to the passage, young people prefer to _______.
| A．do things without thinking carefully ahead. |
| B．ask for advice before they really start to do anything. |
| C．think in the same way as their parents do. |
| D．be very strict with themselves |
According to the passage, young people want to make a new culture of their own because____.
| A．they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people. |
| B．they do not want to get into trouble. |
| C．they feel they are as clever as old people. |
| D．they want to show they have grown up. |
The underlined word “this” in the third paragraph stands for _______.
| A．the young people’s choice |
| B．their being accepted by their parents |
| C．developing a new culture of their own |
| D．their parents’ dislike of their choice |
If a young man intends to control his own life, it’s better for him to _______.
| A．do everything according to his own wish. |
| B．be responsible for what he does |
| C．do everything beyond his parents’ control |
| D．do everything the way his parents do. |
A well-dressed man came to a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’s birthday. The price didn’t matter. Since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that cost $5000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.
A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality, because she wanted a pair of earrings made, “Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl? ” said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, “I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl.”
The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $ 25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.
Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse. “I don’t like to part with it,” she said sadly, “I got it from my mother, and my mother from hers. But I really need the money. ”
The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The man, however, was nowhere to be found.He paid $ 5,000 for the black pearl without bargaining because ______.
| A．he loved his wife deeply |
| B．his business had been successful |
| C．he was anxious to get it |
| D．he wanted to make the jeweler believe him |
He told the jeweler to get him another pearl that must be ______.
| A．exactly the same size as the black one |
| B．exactly as big and nice as the black one |
| C．exactly as expensive as the black one |
| D．exactly the same quality as the black one |
Many people answered the advertisement because they wanted _______.
| A．to see the perfect pearl |
| B．to sell their own pearl at a high price |
| C．to get in touch with the rich man |
| D．to help the rich man’s wife |
The little old lady was probably________.
| A．the man’s partner |
| B．short of money |
| C．unwilling to sell the pearl |
| D．the man’s wife |
The jeweler couldn’t find the man anywhere because ______.
| A．his wife had found another perfect pearl already |
| B．he happened to be out at that time |
| C．he got $ 20,000 by cheating and had run away with the money |
| D．he was angry with the jeweler for waiting too long |
The Batsquatch is described as a great winged bat. It’s reported that it lives in the shadows(阴暗处) of Mt. Saint Helens. It has purple skin, red eyes and the character is quite similar to the bat’s. Since reports tell it likes eating small animals like chickens, goats and pigs, some believe that it is actually a flying primate(灵长目动物). But researchers say that it is more closely related to the fruit bat of northern America.
Fear still fills the hearts of men, women and children of Washington. In May of 1980 during the eruption of Mount Saint Helens, the Batsquatch showed itself in the shadows of clouds from the eruption. In 1994, a local mountaineer was able to take pictures of the Batspuatch making the rumor(谣言) seem real. During this event some farm animals seemed to disappear though luckily no humans were reported missing at the time. The local mountaineer told about his meeting with the Batsquatch. When he suddenly heard a loud deep voice from the shadows, the mountaineer was knocked down. He tried to look for the creature(生物) that had made the sound. He saw a great creature with purple wings in the sky. It looked like it was about 30 feet tall.
The mountaineer kept this story a secret in fear of being laughed at by others but when new stories came in about the Batsquatch he shared his story.
The reality of the Batsquatch can no longer be ignored. It is only a creature that is trying to live. Respect! This is how we should take news such as this. Respect for a living creature instead of fear.The rumor about the batsquatch makes people of Washington full of______
| A．joy | B．surprise |
| C．fear | D．anger |
Why did people believe the rumor of the Batsquatch was real?
| A．Because it was reported in the newspaper |
| B．Because it was seen by many local people |
| C．Because someone once caught one |
| D．Because someone took its picture |
When the Batsquatch appeared, the mountaineer_______.
| A．heard nothing strange |
| B．shouted at it to frighten it away |
| C．was lying on the ground, relaxing |
| D．found it was a 30-foot-tall creature that could fly |
The mountaineer didn’t tell others his story because he________.
| A．was afraid of being laughed at |
| B．was too frightened to tell others |
| C．couldn’t believe what he saw |
| D．didn’t want to make fun of others |
The purpose of the last paragraph is to tell readers_______.
| A．the Batsquatch is being endangered |
| B．the Batsquatch is a dangerous creature |
| C．respect should be given to the Batsquatch |
| D．the news about the Batsquatch is real |
Below is a selection from a popular science book.
If blood is red, why are veins（静脉）blue?
Actually, veins are not blue at all. They are more of a clear, yellowish colour. Although blood looks red when it’s outside the body, when it’s sitting in a vein near the surface of the skin, it’s more of a dark reddish purple colour. At the right depth, these blood-filled veins reflect less red light than the surrounding skin, making them look blue by comparison.
Which works harder, your heart or your brain?
That kind of depends on whether you’re busy thinking or busy exercising. Your heart works up to three times harder during exercise, and shifts enough blood over a lifetime to fill a supertanker. But, in the long run, your brain probably tips it, because even when you’re sitting still your brain is using twice as much as your heart, and it takes four to five times as much blood to feed it.
Why do teeth fall out, and why don’t they grow back in grown-up?
Baby (or “milk”) teeth do not last long; they fall out to make room for bigger, stronger adult teeth later on. Adult teeth fall out when they become damaged, decayed and infected by bacteria. Once this second set of teeth has grown in, you’re done. When they’re gone, they’re gone. This is because nature figures you’re set for life, and what controls regrowth of your teeth switches off.
Do old people shrink as they age?
Yes and no. Many people do get shorter as they age. But, when they do, it isn’t because they’re shrinking all over. They simply lose height as their spine(脊柱)becomes shorter and more curved due to disuse and the effects of gravity（重力）. Many (but not all) men and women do lose height as they get older. Men lose an average of 3—4 cm in height as they age, while women may lose 5 cm or more. If you live to be 200 years old, would you keep shrinking till you were, like 60 cm tall, like a little boy again? No, because old people don’t really shrink! It is not that they are growing backwards—their legs, arms and backbones getting shorter. When they do get shorter, it’s because the spine has shortened a little. Or, more often, become more bent and curved.
Why does spinning make you dizzy(眩晕的)?
Because your brain gets confused between what you’re seeing and what you’re feeling. The brain senses that you’re spinning using special gravity-and-motion-sensing organs in your inner ear, which work together with your eyes to keep your vision and balance stable. But, when you suddenly stop spinning the system goes out control, and your brain thinks you’re moving while you’re not!
Where do feelings and emotions come from?
Mostly from an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system. All mammals have this brain area—from mice to dogs, cats, and humans. So all mammals feel basic emotions like fear, pain and pleasure. But since human feelings also involve other, newer bits of the brain, we feel more complex emotions than any other animals on the planet.
If exercise wears you out, how can it be good for you?
Because our bodies adapt to everything we do to them. And as far as your body is concerned, it’s “use it, or lose it”! It’s not that exercise makes you healthy; it’s more that a lack of exercise leaves your body weak and easily affected by disease.What is the colour of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?
| A．Blue | B．Dark reddish purple |
| C．Red | D．Light yellow |
Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?
| A．Because their spine become more bent. |
| B．Because they are more easily affected by gravity. |
| C．Because they keep growing backwards. |
| D．Because their spine is in active use. |
Which of the following statements about our brain is true?
| A．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans. |
| B．When our brain senses the spinning, we will feel dizzy. |
| C．In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart. |
| D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain. |
. In this article, we can know except _____.
| A．it takes four to five times as much blood to feed our brain as to feed our heart. |
| B．when adult teeth are gone, they cannot grow back. |
| C．the reason why spinning make us dizzy. |
| D．how we can grow taller. |
What is the main purpose of the selection?
| A．To give advice on how to stay healthy. |
| B．To report the latest discoveries in medical science. |
| C．To challenge new findings in medical research. |
| D．To provide information about our body. |
Believe it or not, going to school is not a legal(法定的) requirement in the United States. It
is a legal requirement that all kids be educated, though. When parents believe they can give their kids a better education--- or have other reasons for not wanting to send their kids to a local school --- they may choose home schooling.
However, if a kid hates school, home schooling is probably not the escape he is looking for. Home schooled students can learn just as much as they would in regular school if they and their parents work hard to cover all the subjects and experiences necessary. Parents who home school usually have higher levels of education than parents who do not. They already have the skills to educate themselves about teaching their kids.
Parents who home school have to be able to put the time and skill into not just teaching, but also researching lesson plans and resources(资源). So they have to know how to find the information necessary to teach their kids. State schools often provide home-schooling parents with a curriculum(课程), books and materials and places to meet. Some state schools will point parents to other resources for brushing up on forgotten subjects. Or parents may receive continuing education at local colleges or universities.According to American law, _______________.
| A．all kids shall go to school |
| B．all kids must receive education |
| C．home schooling parents shall receive continuing education |
| D．state schools must give support to home-schooling parents |
According to the text, most home-schooling parents________________.
| A．are short of money | B．dislike schools |
| C．used to work as teachers | D．are well-educated |
Which of the following is NOT true about parents who home school?
| A．They should have enough time. |
| B．They should have some skills in teaching. |
| C．They must receive special curriculums at the university. |
| D．They have to be able to know lesson plans and resources. |
The underlined phrase “brushing up on” in the last paragraph can best be replaced by _____.
| A．reviewing | B．changing |
| C．choosing | D．discussing |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Home schooled kids learn fewer. |
| B．Home schooled kids spend less time studying. |
| C．Being a home-schooling parent needs a lot of effort. |
| D．Home schooling will replaced school education. |