I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy
for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs and toast. Others had cakes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids’. But at least I was not alone in my suffering. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. We had to wear clean clothes every day. Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace(耻辱) because she made our clothes herself, just to save money.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning. So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law. She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us. Through the years, our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, however, would only be satisfied with black marks. None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout(退学者).
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Using this as a background, I’m now trying to bring up my three children. I’m filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.From the passage we can learn that the writer’s mother was __________.
| A．not generous at all |
| B．very strict with her children |
| C．very mean with money matters |
| D．very cruel to her children |
Which of the following things did the writer hate to do most?
| A．Eating differently from other kids. |
| B．Wearing clean clothes made by mother . |
| C．Going to bed early and getting up early . |
| D．Letting mother know where they were . |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．the writer worked hard and usually got good grades in studies |
| B．mother was punished for breaking the Labor Law |
| C．all the other kids studied better than the writer |
| D．the writer’s family lived a miserable life |
Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage ?
| A．Mother practised economy in running her home . |
| B．The writer is very thankful for her mother . |
| C．The writer is strict with her children when bringing them up . |
| D．The wrier has a deep hatred for her mother . |
The passage was written in a way of _________ tone.
| A．humorous | B．hateful | C．ridiculous | D．critical |
It takes courage to stand up at work．Now more and more people are standing up when they are working on something important．Standing up is in fashion．Medical researchers have found that people who stand at work tend to be much healthier than those who sit．But I wasn't just looking for better health — standing would also improve how I work and relax my body．
In recent years, many office supply companies have begun to sell adjustable desks．These so-called "sit / stand" models are equipped with an electric motor that lets them shift from chair height to person height at the push of a button．Unfortunately, sit / stand desks tend to be expensive, hard to find and not very easy to test in person．
I discovered that when I worked standing up, my mind was clearer and new ideas kept coming to me．I suspect that this is because when you're standing, you feel a bit unchained from your desk．If I got stuck on a word or sentence as I wrote it, I found myself shaking my arms, bouncing （跳） on my feet or stepping away from the desk for a bit — things I couldn't do in a chair．Often, standing up seemed to relax my mind enough for me to get over creative barriers．
There's another thing about standing for a long time: I tend to get hungrier than I do when I sit on a chair．That feels like confirmation（证实） of the stand-up advocates’ belief that you burn more calories when you stand than when you sit．For this reason alone, I' m hoping that one day mass-market furniture companies can make many low-priced versions of sit / stand desks．We could all work with a bit more standing up．The author likes standing up while working because __________．
| A．he wants to show that he has a lot of courage |
| B．researchers say standing makes one healthier |
| C．he intends to catch up the fashion trend |
| D．he hopes to improve his work and relax himself |
It can be inferred from the text that ________．
| A．adjustable desks are mass-produced now |
| B．adjustable desks are easy to operate |
| C．cheaper adjustable desks will soon be available |
| D．adjustable desks can be tried out easily |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Standing up at work is a better choice． |
| B．Standing up at work takes courage． |
| C．Standing up at work burns more calories． |
| D．Standing up at work will replace traditional sitting． |
Is there a magic cutoff period when children become responsible for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators （audiences） in the lives of 
their children and shrug, “It’s their life,” and feel nothing?
When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital passage waiting for doctors to put a few stitches（缝线） in my son’s head．I asked, “When do you stop worrying?” The nurse said, “When they get out of the accident stage．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
When I was in my thirties,I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked continually and disrupted the class．As if to read my mind, a teacher said．“Don’t worry．They all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open．A friend said, “They’re trying to find themselves．Don’t worry; in a few years, you can stop worrying．They’ll be adults．” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．
By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being weak．I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle．There was nothing I could do about it．My mother just smiled faintly andsaid nothing．
I continued to suffer from their failures, and be absorbed in their disappointments．My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life．I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted（萦绕心头） by my mother’s warm smile and her occasional “You look pale．Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home．Are you depressed about something?” Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?
One of my children became quite anxious about me recently, saying, “Where w
ere you? I’ve been calling for three days, and no one answered．I was worried．”
I smiled a warm smile．The author intends to tell us in the passage that_______．
| A．parents long for a period when they no longer worry about their children |
| B．there is no time when parents have no worry about their children |
| C．it’s parents’ duty to worry about their children |
| D．there should be a period when parentsdon’t have to worry about their children |
We can infer from the underlined sentence “My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing．” that ______．
| A．her mother shared the same idea as the nurse |
| B．her mother didn’t agree with the nurse |
| C．her mother thought the nurse was lying |
| D．her mother wouldn’t express her opinion upon the matter |
The author mentioned her ages of twenties, thirties, forties and fifty in order to show_______．
| A．the hard times she experiences in her life |
| B．the different stages of her children |
| C．the support she received from her mother |
| D．she had been worrying about her children in her life |
What can we infer from the last sentence?
| A．The mother was happy that her child began to worry about her, too |
| B．Finally the mother didn’t have to worry about her children |
| C．At last the mother could live her own life without worry． |
| D．The mother succeeded in turning her children into adults． |
Which of the following should be the best title?
| A．Life | B．Parents | C．Worry | D．Children |
The cars were honking （鸣叫） on the road one morning as I was walking to the park．I walked on and soon found the cause — a little taxi that had got stuck in the middle of the road．There was sweat on the driver's face as he tried to start the engine again and again — nothing happened．"No petrol,"
I said to myself and then found myself getting angry．"Why doesn't the fool move his taxi to the side?" I thought, so did all the others who honked and shouted．
He got up tiredly, and the passenger in the taxi got out．He was a young man in a white shirt, who watched the driver try to push it to the side．"Stupid guy!" I said．"Can't he lend a helping hand?
I watched as the poor driver pushed it to the side．Cars, buses and trucks went past cursing （咒骂） the poor man．The young man took another taxi and went off．
The taxi driver began mending his taxi．"Stupid passenger!" I said to him．"He didn't help you!" The taxi driver slowly got up．"Sir!" he asked, "Did you?" I looked at him guiltily, then looked away, and walked away fast, asking myself, "Did I help the poor man push his taxi?"
What had I been doing as the traffic jam took place? How had I helped deal with the problem? Did I help the poor man push his taxi? I’d done my bit, with my mouth．But never had I moved to solve the problem．I was shocked with guilt as I heard him asking, "Sir! Did you?"Why did a traffic jam happen on the road when the author was walking to the park?
| A．There was too much traffic in the street． |
| B．Truck drivers attempted to go ahead of others． |
| C．A taxi driver couldn't start his engine． |
| D．A young man wasn't good at driving． |
The author's attitude toward the passenger is that of __________．
| A．anger | B．respect | C．sympathy | D．guilt |
Why did the author feel guilty?
| A．Because he blamed the driver wrongly． |
| B．Because he didn't help the driver, either． |
| C．Because he tried to help but failed in the end． |
| D．Because he didn't persuade the passenger to help． |
From the incident, the author learnt a lesson that we should _________．
| A．criticize those who don't help |
| B．hurt the self-respect of others no more |
| C．think more of those who are in need |
| D．stop talking and start to help |
阅读下列短文，根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格中填入恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填入一个单词。
About six years ago, I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked, “ So, how have you been?” And the boy---who could not have been more than seven or eight years old replied, “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident(小事) stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I hardly found out we were “ depressed” until we were in high school.
The evidence of changes in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is based not only on natural biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in gradual stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the past 30 years, however, a secret-revelation(提示) machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and indiscriminately (不加区分地), to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation（诱惑）, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.
Title: _______ in Today’s Children
| Main comparisons |
Contexts |
| Different( |
Children in the past just did what they were |
| Children today act as if they were |
|
| Different |
Children in the past |
| Sometimes sadness |
|
| Different |
Children in the past got knowledge in |
| Children nowadays get some knowledge by |
Some 80 percent of graduate students in East China's Zhejiang province said in a survey they will give up trying to find jobs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, first-tier cities in China that have been considered dream places for many, because of the untouchable home prices and high living costs.
The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 job seekers who were attending Sunday's job fair in Jiangsu for graduate students. The survey showed graduates are becoming more realistic in their job search despite the job market becoming better.
The fair attracted more than 10,000 graduate students with 7,382 positions.
"The pressure of buying a house in Beijing is unbelievable," said Wang Jian from Nanjing Normal University, who acknowledged he had thought about finding a job in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, but in the face of huge pressures, he has no choice but to be "realistic."
People can have a very comfortable life in Nanjing with a monthly salary of between 3,000 yuan ($450) and 4,000 yuan, but in Shanghai, 5,000 yuan a month can only help you survive and buying a house will remain a dream,
A student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology said he just turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7,000 yuan a month because "living costs in Shanghai are too high."
An unnamed male student from Nanjing University said he will try first-tier cities only if he can get a high salary. "I would go to Beijing only if I can earn 200,000 yuan a year," he said.
"Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou once had the advantages that other cities don't have, but the high housing prices and living costs make young people barely able to breathe," said Ren Leiming from the job service center of Jiangsu's colleges and universities.
"First-tier cities have plenty of talents that make it hard for people to be outstanding, and if you go work in smaller cities you can become a dominant player at your position much more easily," said Ren.Tthe majority of graduate students will give up trying to find jobs in the first-tier cities
because
A it is not easy to find jobs there .
B. home prices and living costs there are very high.
C .they can’t make full use of their knowledge and skills there .
D. monthly salaries there are low compared with those in other cities .Which of the following statements is TRUE about the job market now ?
A. There are more job opportunities offered now
B The job markets are becoming more and more competitive .
C. Many graduate students are n’t satisfied with the working conditions
D Companies and enterprises have stricter rules to take in graduate students .We can learn from the news report that .
A. In Shanghai, 5,000 yuan a month can only help you buy a luxury house .
B. The fair attracted more than 10,000 graduate students and laid-off workers with 7,382 positions
C. The Yangtse Evening Post conducted the survey among 50 personnel managers who were attending Sunday's job fair in Jiangsu for graduate students.
D A student from Nanjing University of Science and Technology turned down an offer from a Shanghai company of 7,000 yuan a monthThe words Ren said in the last paragraph mean .
| A．people can’t achieve more in first-tier cities . |
| B．people can easily be outstanding in smaller cities |
| C．he would rather go to first-tier cities than smaller cities . |
| D．talents are more welcome in first-tier cities than smaller ones |