While surfing television channels over the weekend，a scene from a family classic of last year portraying the now-so-familiar sorry state of retired parents being ill-treated by their children and families caught my attention. I wondered why the description of this relationship had not changed much over the many years! Even though the same movies and soaps accurately capture several other social changes around us — from value systems to new found economic freedom to the importance of technology and the changing approach to consumerism(消费主义) — are these creative efforts far from the truth in telling us that an average retiree is still struggling?
Look around and you will agree that the post-retired lifestyle for an ex-salaried class people is often a pale shadow of their last working years. Even self employed people, who have handed over the responsibility to the next generation, are no exception. Did the average middle class not save enough through his working years?
Socially, we already know that the Indians are taught the benefits of start saving early on in life. Household savings data supports this social behavior — India has the highest rates of savings among various economies and is far ahead of the west. Yet, tragically, a lifetime of savings does not seem to provide enough for a comfortable retirement!
A closer look at the pattern of what we do with our financial savings may tell us a bit more. Over half of households’ financial savings is put into a “safe” deposit, followed by large portions in insurance, pension, provident funds（福利基金） and the rest in physical currency. Less than a tenth goes into “risky” assets(资产) like stocks. While there might be nothing, in particular, worrisome in this investment pool, one has to consider inflation(通货膨胀). The real value of savings, over a few decades, may actually be lower than the starting point. What had not changed much over the many years according to the passage?
| A．Value systems | B．The poor situation of retirees |
| C．Economic freedom | D．Approach to consumerism |
Which of the following statements about saving in India is right?
| A．the concept of saving has been well received by Indians. |
| B．the amount of the savings ranks number one across the world. |
| C．long-standing savings can help the retirees live a care-free life. |
| D．saving early can not benefit people at all. |
What can be inferred according to the last paragraph?
| A．Half of the financial savings in stocks can be accepted. |
| B．The real value of saving must be lowered in a few years. |
| C．A loss of savings may hardly be avoided. |
| D．Inflation can be avoided on condition that you consume instead of saving. |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Retirees being treated unfairly |
| B．Is saving enough |
| C．Saving in India |
| D．How to deal with saving |
Two students started quarreling at school. One student shouted dirty words at the other, and a fight began. What can be done to stop fights like this at school? In some schools, the disputants sit down with peer mediators(同龄调解者). Peer mediators are students with special training in this kind of problems.
Peer mediators help the disputants to talk in a friendly way. Here are some of the ways they use:
1) Put what you think clearly but don’t say anything to hurt the other. Begin with “I feel…” instead of “You always…”
2) Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Don’t stop the other person’s words.
3) Keep looking at the other person’s eyes when he or she talks.
4) Try to see the other person’s side of the problem.
5) Never put anyone down. Saying things like “You are foolish” makes the talk difficult.
6) Try to find a result that makes both people happy.
Peer mediators never decide the result or the winner. They don’t decide who is right and who is wrong. Instead, they help the two students to find their own “win-win” result.The underlined word “disputants” refers to the students ________.
| A．who make peace | B．who give in |
| C．who are lazy | D．who quarrel |
When there is a fight at school ________.
| A．the peer mediators decide who the winner is |
| B．the peer mediators and the disputants talk together |
| C．the students who quarrel decide who the winner is |
| D．the two students sit down and listen to the peer mediators |
Peer mediators’ work is ________.
| A．to give lessons to disputants |
| B．to find out who starts a quarrel |
| C．to give students some special training |
| D．to help find a way to make both sides happy |
Which of the following ways is not used by Peer mediators in finding a “win-win” result?
| A．Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. |
| B．Try to see the other person’s side of the problem. |
| C．Never say things like “You are foolish” |
| D．Never keep looking at the other person’s eyes when he or she talks |
In the past ten years, many scientists have studied the differences between men and women. And they all got the same answer: The sexes(性别) are different, because their brains are different. And this, the scientists say, makes men and women see the world in different ways.
Boys, for example, generally are better than girls at mathematical ideas. Boys also generally are better than girls at the kind of hand and eye movements necessary for ball sports. Girls, on the other hand generally start speaking earlier than boys. And they generally(通常) see better in the dark than boys and are better at learning foreign languages.
What makes men and women better at one thing or another? The answer is the brain. The brain has two sides connected by nerve(神经) tracks. The left side generally is used for mathematics, speech and writing. The right side is used for artistic creation(创造) and the expression for emotions(情感). In men and women, different areas in each side of the brain develop differently. In boys, for example, it’s the area used for mathematics. In girls, it is the area used for language skills. Another interesting difference is that the two sides of a man’s brain are connected by a smaller nerves than the two sides of a woman’s brain are.Which of the following is best to outline(概括) the article?
| A．Research on the brain. |
| B．Differences between men and women |
| C．People’s different brains. |
| D．Who Are Better, Boys or Girls |
________men and women think differently.
| A．Sex makes. |
| B．The different brains make |
| C．The different experiences make. |
| D．The influences of society make. |
According to the article, girls are generally better than boys at __ in your school.
| A．mathematics | B．physics | C．English | D．Chemistry |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The right side of brain in boys generally develops better than that in girls. |
| B．The left side of brain in girls generally develops better than that in boys. |
| C．Men are better than women in all things. |
| D．The area in girls’ brain used for language skills develops better. |
After my dad died on Aug.30, 2001, my mother made sure we marked each anniversary. At first, my brothers and sister and I would travel hours to get home, but eventually we got to the point where just one or two of us would make it back to go to Mass with her and spend the day together.
The great love of her life, the man who broke up with her right before her college graduation, only to return two years later claiming he'd traveled the world and hadn't found anyone to compare with her, remained a daily presence in her life.She spoke about him so often and kept his memory so alive that people were sometimes surprised to learn that he was gone. She took over the garden where he'd planted and made it on her own.
When the 10th anniversary of his death approached，my mom began talking about it and planning for it weeks in advance. The date on her kitchen calendar was circled and marked R．I.P. (Rest in Peace). Of course she wanted all of us there and settled the date for our coming back.
On Monday—the day before the anniversary—she went to Mass and walked downtown for lunch with friends, and later told my sister on the phone that she felt Dad still so close that as she was walking back home, she heard someone yell and thought, “Oh, there's Dick.”
That evening she went out to water flowers, just as my father, 10 years before, had gone out to the garden to pick vegetables before he died. A neighbor heard the tin watering can strike the ground as she fell and hit her head. My mother died within hours, on Aug. 30, 2011, the 10th anniversary. She needed to mark that anniversary, she_wanted_us_all_home and my dad had waited long enough.The author and her brothers and sister would________each year during the first
few years since 2001.
| A．go home to see their father |
| B．go home to see their mother |
| C．spend the special day with their mother |
| D．serve their mother on Aug.30 |
From the second paragraph we know that the author's father________.
| A．traveled around the world and left her mother |
| B．left her mother first but returned two years later |
| C．had a quarrel with her mother before her mother's graduation |
| D．was not the right man her mother wanted at that time |
We can infer from the passage that the author's mother________.
| A．knew her last day was coming on Aug.30 |
| B．kept everything of her husband's |
| C．missed her husband though he had passed away |
| D．remained a daily presence in her husband's life |
What does the writer imply in the underlined part of the last sentence?
| A．Mother wanted us to stay at home. |
| B．Mother missed us very much. |
| C．Mother expected us to get back. |
| D．That day was Mother's last day. |
Two things I really believe in—saving money and saving the planet，and it's even better when I can do something that accomplishes both at the same time.
Rainwater harvesting is just such a thing.In the near future，rainwater harvesting will be as common as twelveyearold girls carrying cell phones.
Many countries already rely heavily on rainwater.Bermuda，for example，every building on the small island collects the rainwater from its roof and stores it for later use.However，America_is_just_slightly_behind_the_curve.
There are many ways you can begin harvesting rainwater and most of them are easy and inexpensive.Use rain barrels to collect the water that would run off of your roof.You'd be surprised how fast a fiftygallon barrel will fill with free，usable water.New building construction offers some good ways to gather rainwater，and the cost of installation is usually offset by reduced usage very quickly.Roof drains can be piped into underground tanks，where a pump can draw it up as needed.
The rainwater can even be treated to make it drinkable...but wait—there's more！If that rainwater were not collected，but allowed to run over your lawn，into the street and eventually to a stormwater treatment facility，it would pick up all sorts of pollutants on its journey—fertilizers and pesticides from the grass，motor oil，antifreeze and such from the roads，and who knows what else.
Depending on where you live，the stormwater may be piped to a treatment plant or it may run in natural channels to allow nature to remove the pollutants.Either way，the treatment of stormwater is costly.If you reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from your home or office，you reduce the need for treatment.
Water is rapidly becoming one of our most precious resources and it is not as abundant as you may think.In the year 2000，the United States used approximately 326 billion gallons of fresh water per day.What does the underlined sentence “America is just slightly behind the curve” mean?
| A．Americans don't show interest in harvesting rainwater. |
| B．There is no need for Americans to harvest rainwater. |
| C．Harvesting rainwater in America is not that common. |
| D．Americans can't collect rainwater from the roof correctly. |
According to the passage，harvesting rainwater can ________.
| A．benefit you economically and ecologically |
| B．benefit your health and the surroundings around |
| C．promote the development of economy and peace |
| D．make us live a better life in the near future |
What is the fourth paragraph mainly concerned with?
| A．How to take advantage of the rainwater. |
| B．How to fix the equipment under the ground. |
| C．How to reduce the cost of new equipment. |
| D．How to harvest rainwater effectively. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．it is not easy to make rainwater drinkable |
| B．the author calls on people to harvest rainwater |
| C．the stormwater cannot be made drinkable |
| D．people can treat the stormwater very easily |
Funloving Paul Johnson has scooped the title of the Scarborough Evening News Teacher of the Year 2008.Mr.Johnson，of Hinderwell School，was presented with the award after four of his pupils nominated him for the prestigious title.
Evening News editor Ed Asquith presented Mr.Johnson with his certificate and a cheque for ￡100 yesterday.His class is also set to enjoy a free trip to the Sea Life Centre which includes being picked up by a complimentary Shoreline Suncruisers opentop bus.
The 30yearold，who lives in Hunmanby，said，“I am just so shocked.I have been nominated for this award for a few years and I never thought I would win it.It is fantastic.It is completely out_of_the_blue.”
Mr.Johnson has worked as a Year 5 teacher at the school for seven years.He also works as an advanced skills teacher which involves visiting other schools in the country once a week to offer crosscurricular teaching.
He was chosen as the winner because of his dynamic but educationally engaging approach to teaching，and based on the real way he has demonstrated that every child matters.Each term he picks a theme for his class and the curriculum is based around it.This term，they are studying medieval times—and his classroom has a castle in one corner.He also treated his class to a threeday trip to London earlier this year.
His nominators were Lucy and Emily Desborough，Rachel Laverick and Rebecca Miller.Classmate Callum Macdonald,10，said，“He is the best teacher in the world and he deserves this.He is brilliant with us and he is just so funny.He tells lots of jokes which always make us laugh.”Beth Lawty,9，added，“Our classroom is the best ever.We have really enjoyed being in his class and I will miss him next year.”Paul Johnson's class will ________because of his winning the award.
| A．receive a cheque for ￡100 |
| B．be offered a free trip to the Sea Life Centre |
| C．have a threeday trip to London |
| D．take an opentop bus to London for free |
Why is there a castle in one corner of Paul Johnson's classroom?
| A．It is used to train the students' imagination. |
| B．It is a prize from the Scarborough Evening News. |
| C．The students can play in it after calss. |
| D．It is probably a symbol of medieval times. |
What do we know about Paul Johnson's approach to teaching from the passage?
| A．He has no fixed theme for teaching. |
| B．He teaches in a funny and flexible way. |
| C．He changes his teaching theme frequently. |
| D．He bases his curriculum on jokes. |
The underlined part“out of the blue”probably means “________”．
| A．of surprise | B．frustrating |
| C．of great fame | D．within easy reach |