Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank (打屁股) the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong.
One parent remembers being spanked when he was a child. His parents used a wooden spoon. When he spanked his own children with his hand, he saw that he put a red mark on his child’s leg. He never did that again.
One problem with spanking is that it teaches the child to hit someone when they do not like what the other person is doing. Another problem with spanking is that the parent is usually angry and can hit the child too hard. Sometimes parents will use spanking for everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing.
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a
child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to ________.
| A．strike them on the bottom | B．try to help them do the right thing |
| C．teach them what to do | D．take them to court |
Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?
| A．It teaches the child to hit others when they offend（使人不快） him or her. |
| B．The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard. |
| C．Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything. |
| D．It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right. |
Which of
the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?
| A．favorable | B．indiffe rent |
C．interested | D．unfavorable |
From this passage, we can conclude that ________.
| A．Good children always do the right thing. |
| B．Parents should try their best to avoid spanking their children. |
| C．Parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong. |
| D．Children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked. |
There’s no doubt that man is the smartest. But do you know what other animals are smart, too?
Dolphins
Dolphins are very smart. Most of the “tricks” they’re taught to do are actually behavior they would engage in on their own. They love to play, race and generally enjoy their life to the fullest. They speak a language we have yet to completely understand and like all civilized creatures, dolphins’ mothers always provide their young children with guidance and possibly, love.
Great apes
The great ape family primarily consists of gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. Their brain chemistry is so similar to humans’ that NASA once used chimpanzees in place of astronauts during many dangerous missions. Gorillas have been taught sign language and orangutans exist in complex familial relationships.
Elephants
Everyone has heard the phrase “an elephant never forgets”. Elephants establish long-term friendships, recognizing and remembering their friends years later. If an elephant comes upon a fallen friend, it has even been known to feel sad.
Parrots
As proved by this list, parrots are very smart. They are also the only animals listed that can actually hold a conversation. Some parrots know hundreds of words by imitating humans. The birds are also capable of remembering words and using them intelligently in response to situations.Which of the following is TRUE about dolphins?
| A．They are able to play a lot of tricks. |
| B．Humans know well of dolphins’ language. |
| C．Their brain chemistry is similar to humans’. |
| D．Dolphins’ mothers care little about their children. |
Which kind of animal has a long-term memory?
| A．Dolphins. | B．Great apes. |
| C．Elephants. | D．Parrots. |
According to the passage, the special characteristic of parrots is that __________.
| A．they can use words remembered before to interact |
| B．they can imitate human beings by playing with them |
| C．they have the feeling of sadness when they see a dead bird |
| D．they can read people’s minds through words they remember |
One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (引文) showing how it was used.
This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as “Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire,” 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff’s most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum (精神病院) for the Criminally Insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave
goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary _________.
| A．came out before minor died |
| B．was edited by an American volunteer |
| C．was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary Murray |
| D．included the English words invented by Murray |
How did Dr. Minor contributed to the dictionary?
| A．He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers. |
| B．He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray. |
| C．He went to England to work with Murray. |
| D．He provided a great number of words and quotations |
Why did Dr. Minor refuse to visit Oxford?
| A．He lived far from Oxford |
| B．He was shut in an asylum |
| C．He was busy writing a book |
| D．He disliked traveling |
Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because __________.
| A．They had a common interest in words |
| B．They both served in the Civil War |
| C．Minor recovered with the help of Murray |
| D．Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor |
Lots of people buy books and products from Amazon, an online seller. They offer and pay over the Internet and the books are shipped through the mail or a delivery service like FedEx.
One day, people could get their Amazon deliveries from an “unmanned aerial vehicle”—a timely vehicle that looks like a toy helicopter. And instead of waiting days to get the parcel, it could be at the buyer’s home in half an hour or less. The company is working on a fleet of tiny vehicles they call “Prime Air”. The vehicles are also known as “octocopters”. On their website, Amazon says, “One day, Prime Air Vehicles will be as normal as seeing a mail trucks on the road today.”
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on safety regulations for unmanned flying vehicles like the Prime Air copters. Those regulations will make sure the copters are able to fly safely where they need to go. Once the FAA has put its rules in place, which could be as early as 2016, Amazon will be ready with its fleet of tiny flyers. The process could take as many as five years.
The new delivery service would likely be available only in the United States, at first. The copters the company is testing now can handle packages up to five pounds (2.3kg) and they have a range of 10 miles (16 kilometers).
Other companies are also looking at using unmanned flying vehicles to deliver their products. For instance, Domino’s Pizza in the U.K. released a video showing a “DomiCopter”, delivering a pizza. That video may have been a publicity stunt（噱头）. In any case, just like Prime Air’s octocopters, the DomiCopters don’t have clearance（许可）to take off just yet.For what purpose does Amazon want to use the Prime Air?
| A．To predict the sales volume. |
| B．To check the delivery service. |
| C．To shorten the delivery period. |
| D．To remind people to order online. |
What do we know from Amazon’s words in paragraph 2?
| A．The Prime Air Vehicles will still travel on the road. |
| B．The Amazon’s delivery system needs to be improved. |
| C．The Prime Air Vehicles will be widely put into use soon. |
| D．The creation of the Prime Air Vehicles was inspired by the mail trucks. |
The Prime Air Vehicles will be regulated by the U.S.’s FAA for __________.
| A．the design plans |
| B．the delivery price |
| C．the driver’s training |
| D．the safety assessment |
What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us about the new delivery method?
| A．Its safety | B．Its delivery ability |
| C．Its appearance | D．Its moving speed |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The new delivery service has attracted more customers. |
| B．The designer of Amazon has promoted “Prime Air” to other company. |
| C．Another unmanned vehicle has been put into use by a British pizza company. |
| D．Unmanned vehicles could possibly be developed and employed by more companies. |
Since my family were not going to be helpful about my taking a cooking job, I decided I would look for one all by myself and not to tell them about it till I’d got a permanent one.
I had seen an agency advertised in a local paper, so as soon as there was no one about to say “Where are you going?” I rushed out of the house in search of it. I was wildly excited, and as nervous as if I were going on the stage. Finding the place quite easily, I tore up three flights of stairs, and swung breathlessly through a door which said “Enter without knocking, if you please.”
The simple atmosphere of the office calmed me, and I sat down on the edge of a chair. The woman at the desk opposite looked carefully at me. Then she questioned me in a low voice. I answered softly and started to feel helpless. She wondered why I was looking for this sort of job, so I felt I had to give her the idea of a widowed mother struggling against poverty. But I felt more helpless when she told me that it would be difficult to get a job without experience or references. Suddenly, the telephone on her desk rang. While having a mysterious conversation, she kept looking at me. Then I heard her say:
“In fact, I’ve got someone here who might suit.” She wrote down a number, and my spirits rose as she held out the paper to me, saying: “Ring up this lady. She wants a cook immediately. Cook a dinner for ten people tomorrow. Could you manage that, I wonder?”
“Oh, yes,” say I—never having cooked for more than four. Then I rushed out and called the lady, Miss Cathy. I said confidently that I was just what she was looking for. “Are you sure?” she kept saying. Anyway she decided to employ me and a permanent position if I carried out the promise of my self-praise. I asked her what tomorrow’s menu was to be.
“Just a small, simple dinner: lobster cocktail, soup, turbot Mornay, fruit salad and a savory.” In a rather shaken voice I promised to turn up in good time tomorrow and rang off.What did the author feel on her way?
| A．Excited but worried. |
| B．Nervous and excited. |
| C．Easy and curious. |
| D．Helpless but excited. |
Why didn’t the woman give the author the job at first?
| A．Because the woman found that the author didn’t respect her. |
| B．Because the woman realized that the author made up a story. |
| C．Because the author hadn’t been a cook before or got a reference. |
| D．Because the woman had already hired a more suitable cook. |
According to the passage, what would the author most probably do after the call?
| A．Read some cookery book. |
| B．Call her family and tell them the news. |
| C．Go to the woman’s house. |
| D．Buy what the woman told her at once. |
The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia. When people talk about it, you can hear a word invented in Japan, “DINKS”, which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, the cost of a house is extremely high. A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $3000,000 (though prices have fallen). For a flat with one bedroom, one dining-room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, the couple will pay about $900 a month. What’s more, if they want to have a child, the child’s education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5,000 a year. In such a situation, it’s difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoy their jobs. However, if they want to have children, they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby, they expect women with babies to give up their jobs. In short, if they want to bring up children properly, both parents have to work, but it is hard for mothers to work. Indeed, women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word, Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible. What is the main problem being discussed in the passage?
| A．The small number of newborn babies. |
| B．The changing social situation of women. |
| C．The high prices of houses and education. |
| D．The necessary steps of Asian government. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．It is easy for a couple to afford a child in Asia. |
| B．The prices of houses in Asia are quite low now. |
| C．Fewer and fewer married women want to have a job. |
| D．The word “DINKS” appeared in an Asian country. |
To buy a flat and send a child to kindergarten, how much will a couple pay each year?
| A．$5,000. | B．$5,900. |
| C．$10,800. | D．$15,800. |
The writer seems to believe that Asian governments should ________.
| A．let women stay at home and have a baby |
| B．allow only one of the parents to go out to work |
| C．care for the growing needs of women for jobs |
| D．punish the companies that permit women to leave |