As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows，there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist(社会心理学家)Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co－workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger，conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control(控制)the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question－asking the parents do，the higher the children’s IQ scores.”
Lewis says，“And the more children there are，the less question－asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹)．Lewis found that in families with three or four children，dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child，who has the most to talk about，and the youngest，who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible(看不见的)，”says Lewis.“ When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner，chances are it’s the middle child.” There is，however，one thing that stops all conversations and prevents anyone from having attention：“When the TV is on，” Lewis says，“ dinner is a non－event.”The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ________.
| A．show the relationship between parents and children |
| B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table |
| C．report on the findings of a study |
| D．give information about family problems |
Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ________.
| A．they are busy serving food to their children |
| B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table |
| C．they have to pay more attention to younger children |
| D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family |
By saying “Middle children are invisible” in Paragraph 3，Lewis means that middle children ________.
| A．have to help their parents to serve dinner |
| B．get the least attention from the family |
| C．are often kept away from the dinner table |
| D．find it hard to keep up with other children |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
| A．It is important to have the right food for children. |
| B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner. |
| C．Parents should talk to each of their children often. |
| D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner. |
Perhaps you have seen them on the playground, at preschool drop-off or piano lessons, or even in TV shows like Up All Night. They are the stay-at-home dads, and lately, it seems they’re everywhere.
The latest research shows that 32 percent of dads regularly care for their children, and among those with preschool-age kids, one in five dads is the primary caregiver. In families where mom works, that figure rises to nearly one in three. Stay-at-home dads have become so common that even toy makers like Mattel are catering to(迎合) them.
A recent study finds that today’s full-time fathers aren’t trying to be “Mr. Moms”. Instead, they’re carving out their own unique roles as parents. I spoke with some experienced stay-at-home dads, who agreed that their parenting styles are different. “I do let the kids take more risks on the playground, while my wife tends to get nervous that they’ll fall and hurt themselves,” says Kyle, 38, an artist.
Besides, as there are more and more stay-at-home dads, they are turning to each other for support. They have created Meet Up groups and held Dads Nights Out. Kyle admits he had noticed a change recently. “Several years ago, I was checking out at a store with the kids, and the cashier was very curious why I was buying food instead of my wife. I told her that I was a full-time dad, and she commented, ‘Wow, I have never met one of you before.’ Now, my next-door neighbor is a dad who works from home and we often trades off watching the kids after school. ”
As for my own husband, although he admits that being a full-time dad is encouraging, he’s also proud of the strong bond with our daughter, which will offer her benefits that last for years. Children wit caring dads tend to have higher intelligence and more confidence, and do better in school. They also are less likely to experience depression or get into trouble, and have better social skills.Why toy makers catering to stay-at-home dads?
| A．Kids like playing with them. |
| B．They influence the choices their children make. |
| C．They are the money-makers in their families. |
| D．Kids like toys bought by them. |
According to Paragraph 3, stay-at-home dads _______.
| A．can never replace moms’ love. |
| B．can be as good as moms at parenting. |
| C．try to learn from moms about parenting. |
| D．have different parenting styles from moms. |
What change has Kyle noticed recently?
| A．The founding of Meet Up groups. |
| B．The change of people’s attitude towards them. |
| C．The increase in the number of stay-at-home dads. |
| D．The development of new communication methods. |
Children with full-time dads are more likely to be ______.
| A．smart and positive. | B．energetic and brave |
| C．sociable and patient. | D．confident and careful. |
Phillida Eves and her husband Tedd Hamilton weren’t unhappy living in the Galway countryside with their sons, Cian and Oisín, and their daughter, Soracha. “We had a lovely home, a car, lots of friends, and weekends sailing our boat,” says Phillida. “But there’s a line from a poem that goes: ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?’ That says it all for me. We felt there was more to life.”
So they quit their jobs, , took their sons, then aged six and nine, out of school and went to southern Spain where they bought a 15-metre yacht(游艇) and headed up the coast to Barcelona. Soracha was not even three. And they brought along Poppy, the family dog. Now, two and a half years and 10,000km later, they don’t intend to stop. Tedd is a yacht engineer and can find work in ports. But, says Phillida, a supply(代数) teacher, “any family could do this.”
The children are home-schooled using a correspondence(函授) course. “My son had a recent project on the weather. The weather is vital to us. My son knows more than most adults about weather systems, compasses, maps and directions. The weather, for him, means life or death.”
Other subjects have become equally vivid.“They’re living geography and history all the time. We’ve sailed round Italy, Sardinia, Sicily, and seen tiny islands we didn’t know. The kids learned about ancient Romans by visiting Rome.”
But what about social development? Again, Phillida is sanguine. “The children have become much more socially confident since we set out. They play with tones of families of all nationalities on other boats we meet.”
Living for the moment, they believe, is a huge life lesson. “Our children never say they’re bored.” The other day they stopped mid-ocean and the kids swam, 110km from land. “That’s the kind of freedom we want for them,” says Phillida. “That’s the kind of freedom they’ve got.”The couple quit their jobs and took their children travelling because .
| A．their children wanted to make friends of all nationalities. |
| B．they wanted to experience more in their life. |
| C．their children wanted complete freedom. |
| D．they are unhappy with their lives. |
The family made a living during their tour from .
| A．writing their own stories |
| B．doing temporary jobs |
| C．selling their possessions |
| D．teaching English |
The underlined word “sanguine” in paragraph 5 is closet in meaning to “”.
| A．patient | B．curious |
| C．excited | D．optimistic |
What we can learn about the family from the text?
| A．They plan to stop for a rest. |
| B．They have toured for more than three years. |
| C．They believe any family can do the same thing as they do. |
| D．They have made several geographical and historical discoveries. |
Apply for a Library Card
Any person who lives, works or attends school in New York State is qualified to receive a New York Public Library card free of charge.
Adults and teen users may either apply online or in person at any New York Public Library location. Applications for children ages 11 and under must be completed in person, and require the signature of a parent or guardian.
When you apply for a card online, you will receive a 7-digit temporary barcode(条形码). This allows you to set a PIN (personal Identification Number).
After you receive your permanent barcode, which is required to borrow materials, search library databases, or reserve a computer, you must validate(使……生效) your card.
Renew or Validate Your Card
All adults, teen and child library cards for cardholders in New York City and areas of New York State outside of New York City expire(期满) and must be renewed every three years. New library card applicants who applied for a card online must validate their card before full cardholder privileges can be extended.
Cardholders in New York City must visit any New York Public Library location to present the required forms of identification in order to renew or validate their card.
Cardholders from areas of New York States outside of New York City may email scans or copies of the required forms of identification to patronaccounts@nypl.org.
Forget Your PIN?
If you provide the library with a valid email address, you can click on the Forget Your PIN? link on the login(登陆) screen of either Biliocommons or the Classic Catalog. A link with instructions on changing your PIN will be sent to the email address on your account, giving you a brief period of time to update your information. You must select a 4-digit number PIN, with no repeating or obvious charaters (e.g. 1234 or 2222).
If you have not provided us with a valid email address, you have to visit a library location with valid identification to have a staff member reset your PIN for you. If a 10-year-old boy wants to receive a New York Public Library card, he .
| A．can either apply online or in person. |
| B．can ask his parents to apply for him. |
| C．has to visit a library location in person. |
| D．has to apply in person with a partner or guardian. |
Which is different for cardholders in New York City and those from areas of New York State outside of New York City？
| A．The full cardholder privileges. |
| B．The way they apply for a card. |
| C．The period of validity of their card. |
| D．The way they renew or validate their cards. |
Which of the following may be a suitable PIN for a library card?
| A．5862 | B．1357 | C．4321 | D．7777 |
“Long time no see” is a very interesting sentence. When I first read this sentence from an American friend’s email, I laughed. I thought it was a perfect example of Chinglish.
Obviously, it is a word-by-word literal translation of the Chinese greetings with a ruled English grammar and structure! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American greeting. I was too thrilled to believe her. Her words could not convince me at all. So I did a research on google.com. To my surprise, there are over 60 thousand web pages containing “Long time no see.” This sentence has been widely used in emails, letters, newspapers, movies, books, or any other possible places. Though it is sort of informal, it is part of the language that Americans use daily. Ironically, if you type this phrase in Microsoft Word, the software will tell you that the grammar needs to be corrected.
Nobody knows the origin of this Chinglish sentence. Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan’s movies. In the 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully created a world wide famous Chinese detective named “Charlie Chan” on wide screens. Detective Chan likes to teach Americans some Chinese wisdom by quoting Confucius. “Long time no see” was his trademark. Soon after Charlie Chan, “Long time no see” became a popular phrase in the real world with thanks to the popularity of these movies.
Some scholars(学者) refer to America as a huge pot of stew. All kinds of culture are mixed in the stew together, and they change the color and taste of each other. American Chinese, though a minority ethnic(少数民族的成员) group in the United States, is also contributing some changes to the stew! Language is usually the first thing to be influenced in the mixed stew.
You can have some other examples besides adoptions from Chinese, such as pizza from Italian, sushi from Japanese, and déjà vu from French etc. There is a long list! Americans do not just simply borrow something from others. They will modify it and make it their own, so you would not be surprised to find a tofu and peanut butter hamburger in a restaurant, or to buy a bottle of iced Chinese green tea with honey in a grocery store. Since Americans appreciate Chinese culture more and more nowadays, I believe more Chinese words will become American English in the future. In this way the American stew keeps adding richness and flavor.The writer himself felt surprised at ______.
| A．the Chinglish expression “Long time no see” |
| B．finding out Americans use the expression every day |
| C．so many literal translation of the expressions used in America |
| D．“Long time no see” used as standard American English |
The word “stew” in the 4th paragraph probably means ______.
| A．mixture literature |
| B．Confucius’ words |
| C．a kind of cooked dish |
| D．American changing cultures |
According to the passage, it can be inferred that ______.
| A．detectives translate the phrase “Long time no see” |
| B．Hollywood made “Long time no see” popular |
| C．the huge pot of stew greatly affects all kinds of languages |
| D．cultures won’t be changed in the huge pot of stew |
The main idea of the passage is that ______.
| A．some Chinese expressions are introduced into English |
| B．you’ll not be surprised at a tofu in a restaurant in America |
| C．some American expressions can be used in China |
| D．American English keep being enriched from different cultures |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?
| A．Informal language sometimes doesn’t go with grammar and structure. |
| B．Languages are always ruled by grammar and structure. |
| C．Long time no see” has been used in at least four media mentioned in the passage. |
| D．There are four languages mentioned to be adopted in the American stew. |
“Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move,” said David Belle, the founder of parkour(跑酷).
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that's parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants（参与者）dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from roof top to roof top.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy(理念) behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, “I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”
Another philosophy we've learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself. It is only a state of mind. It is when you trust yourself that you earn energy.Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of ________.
| A．its founder, David Belle |
| B．the varieties of participants |
| C．its risks and tricks |
| D．the film, Casino Royale |
The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “________”.
| A．streets | B．buildings |
| C．barriers | D．roofs |
Which of the following is true of parkour?
| A．It needs special training. |
| B．It is a good but boring sport. |
| C．It challenges human abilities. |
| D．It is a team sport. |
As its participants move around a city, ________.
| A．they should run to extremes |
| B．they may choose to escape |
| C．they can ask for help |
| D．they must learn to survive |
Which of the following is the philosophy of parkour?
| A．Sports and extremes. |
| B．Excitement and freedom. |
| C．Determination and freedom. |
| D．Dreams and success. |