The greatest recent changes have been in the lives of women, during the twentieth century there was an unusual shortening of the time of a woman’s life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the 19th century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which custom, chance and health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman’s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty five and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty. Even while she has the care of children, her work is lightened by household appliances (家用电器)and convenience foods.
This important change in women’s way of life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity and most of them took a full time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards, return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with both husband and wife accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfaction of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money and running the home, according to the abilities and interest of each them. According to the passage, around the year1990 most women married .
A. at about twenty five B
. in their early fifties
C. as soon as possible after they were fifteen D. at any age from fifteen to forty fiveWe are told that in an average family about1990
.
| A.many children died before they were five |
| B.the youngest child would be fifteen |
| C.seven of eight children lived to be more than five |
| D.four of five children died when they were five. |
When she was over fifty, the late 19th century mother .
| A.would expect to work until she died |
| B.was usually expected to take up paid employment |
| C.would be healthy enough to take up paid employment. |
| D.was unlikely to find a job. |
Many girls, the passage says, are now likely to .
| A.marry so that they can get a job |
| B.Leave school as soon as they can |
| C.give up their jobs for good after they are married |
| D.continue working until they are going to have a baby |
According to the passage, it is now quite usual for women to .
| A.stay at hone after leaving school |
| B.marry men younger than themselves |
| C.start working again later in life |
| D.Marry while still at school |
Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes---khaki pants and sports shirt---to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday(but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” of “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.” David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because _______.
| A.he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt |
| B.he couldn’t stand a clean appearance |
| C.he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time |
| D.he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes |
David Smith wears casual clothes now, because _______.
| A.they make him feel at ease when working |
| B.he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes |
| C.he looks handsome in casual clothes |
| D.he no longer works for any company |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is false?
| A.Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code. |
| B.Comfortable clothes make employees more productive. |
| C.A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees. |
| D.All the employers in the U. S. are for casual office wear. |
According to this passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A.Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago. |
| B.Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s. |
| C.“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers. |
| D.Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people. |
In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned in the passage except _______.
| A.saving employees’ money |
| B.making employees more attractive |
| C.improving employees’ motivation |
| D.making employees happier |
The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule.
During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear. It was the first time that the rings had appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics.
In the 1950’s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful. When the White Olympics came, the host countries as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sports men began to take part in the White Olympics.
Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet.
Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen. We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A.No stamps were printed in the first two White Olympics |
| B.The first stamps marking the opening came out for the 3rd White Olympics |
| C.The 3rd White Olympics was in the USA |
| D.The 3rd White Olympics were held in 1932 |
The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games _____.
| A.after the year 1936 | B.after the 3rd White Olympics |
| C.before the 3rd White Olympics | D.before the year 1932 |
The Winter Olympics is held once _______.
| A.every two years | B.every three years |
| C.every four years | D.every five years |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A.Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
| B.Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
| C.All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
| D.Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games |
What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?
| A.Basketball. | B.Table tennis. | C.Football. | D.Skating. |
Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The building next door was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her seated by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself, “I wonder why that woman doesn't wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside. Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible. Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?
Since then, whenever I wanted to judge someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?”
Then I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.The writer couldn't see everything clearly through the window because .
| A.the woman's window was dirty | B.the writer's window was dirty |
| C.the woman lived nearby | D.the writer was near-sighted |
Finishing the cleaning, the writer was surprised that .
| A.the woman was sitting by her window | B.the woman's window was clean |
| C.the woman did cleaning in the afternoon | D.the woman's window was still terrible |
“…it dawned on me” probably means “”.
| A.I began to understand it | B.it cheered me up |
| C.I knew it grew light | D.it began to get dark |
It’s clear that .
| A.the writer had never met the woman before | B.the writer often washed the window |
| C.they both worked as cleaners | D.they lived in a small town |
From the passage, we can learn .
| A.one shouldn't criticize others very often |
| B.one should often make his windows clean |
| C.one must judge himself before he judges others |
| D.one must look at others through his dirty windows |
Most people think that the
capital of the movie world is Hollyhood, in the United States. However, the real movie capital is Mumbai, in India. Mumbai used to be known as Bombay, and so the film industry there is called “Bollywood.” Bollywood makes twice as man
y movies each year as Hollyhood—more than 800 films a year.
The movies from Bollywood are very different from Hollywood movies. For one thing, Bollywood movies are much longer than most Hollywood movies. Most Bollywood movies are more than three hours long, and contain singing, dancing, action, adventure, mystery, and romance (but usually no kissing). Because Bollywood films contain so many different features, this style of film is sometimes called a “masala” film. (“Masala” is an Indian word for a mixture of spice
s.)
Another big difference between Bollywood and Hollywood movies is the way movies are made. It takes much longer to make a movie in Hollywood than in Bollywood. In fact, filming may begin on a Bollywood movie before the script even finished. The director and writers can make up the story while the film is being made. Sometimes they will even write the script by hand instead of taking time to type it.
Bollywood actors are very popular and some are in such high demand that they may work on several movies at the same time. They may even shoot scenes for several films on the same day using the same costumes and scenery. Since most Bollywood movies follow the same kind of story, shooting scenes for several films at the same time is not a big problem for actors or directors. This also helps keep the cost of Bollywood movies lower than the cost of Hollywood movies. The average Bollywood film, with a budget of only two million U.S. dollars, seems very cheap compared to the average budget of sixty million U.S. dollars for a Hollywood film—thirty times as much! What is the main topic of the reading?
| A.famous stars in Bollywood | B.how Hollywood movies are made |
| C.the differences between two movie industries | D.the history of movie-making in India |
What is NOT true about Mumbai?
| A.It is the movie capital of India. |
| B.The new name is Bombay. |
| C.More movies are made there than in Hollywood. |
| D.It is less expensive to make films there than in Hollywood. |
Why are Bollywood films often called “masala” films?
| A.They have spicy stories. | B.They show Indian culture. |
| C.They are much longer than Hollywood films. | D.They mix different styles of movies. |
Bollywood movies are cheap to make because ____________________ .
| A.they are shorter than Hollywood films. |
| B.the scripts are written by hand. |
| C.the movies do not use any special effects. |
| D.each movie reuses things from other movies. |
Which of these statements would the writer probably agree with?
| A.Most Bollywood movies are very similar. |
| B.It takes a lot of money to make a good movie. |
| C.Only Indian people can understand Bollywood movies. |
| D.Hollywood movies are too violent. |
DJs (disc jockeys) are the people who play and present music on the radio, or in nightclub. A VJ (video jockey) is a person who introduces music videos on television.
VJs were first seen on television in the early 1980s when MTV went on the air. As MTV caught on, and the audience for music videos expanded, a variety of other music video channels started broadcasting. In addition to rock music, there were channels for people who were into alternative kinds of music, such as country music, light rock, and R & B,
and all of these channels needed VJs. By the 1990s, international music video channels like Channel V in Asia and VIVA in Europe had started.
The VJs for the new international stations had to be chosen carefully. Although some VJs did shows focused on small audiences and showed mostly local content, other VJs presented shows for international viewers. These VJs, and the material they presented, needed to be popular in several different cultures.
One successful international VJ in Asia is Asha Gill.
She is from Malaysia, but parents and grandparents are fro
m India, France, and England. She speaks three languages and has fans across Asia, from Japan to the United Arab Emirates.
Another VJ who has made a big hit in Asia is Lili. She is actually a computer-animated VJ on MTV Asia. An actress wearing special computer equipment makes Lili move like a puppet. Th
e actress also talks for Lili, and her shows can be seen in five languages.
When asked what makes
a good video jockey, many successful VJs have given similar answers. To be a good VJ you need to know a lot about music, you need to be funny, and you can’t be shy.What is the reading mainly about?
| A.how to become a VJ | B.the most popular VJ today |
| C.the differences between DJs and VJs | D.some general information about VJs |
What kind of music did the first VJ probably introduce?
| A.classical | B.rhythm and blues | C.rock and pop | D.country |
What do Channel V and VIVA have in common?
| A.They are both owned by MTV. |
| B.They are music video channels in Asia. |
| C.They do not use VJs to introduce the music. |
| D.They have viewers in more than one country. |
Which is NOT true about Asha Gill?
| A.She speaks more than one language. | B.Her family were all born in Malaysia. |
| C.She’s popular in quite a lot of Asian countries. | D.She is a successful VJ. |
Which of the following does th
e passage NOT mention as being important for someone who wants to be a VJ?
| A.speak many different languages | B.listen to a lot of music |
| C.talk easily with different people | D.being able to make people laugh |