Fromschooltobandpractice,theVe-优题课

More surprising,perhaps, than the present difficulties of traditional marriage is the fact that marriage itself is alive and thriving.As Skolnick notes,Americans are a marrying people: relative to Europeans, more of us marry and we marry at a younger age. Moreover, after a drop in the early 1915s,the rate of marriage in the United States is now increasing. Even the divorce rate needs to be taken in this promarriage context: some 30 percent of divorced individuals remarry. Thus, marriage remains by far the preferred way of life for the vast majority of people in our society.
What has changed more than marriage is the nuclear family. Twentyfive years ago, the typical American family was made up of a husband, a wife, and two or three children.Now,there are many marriages in which couples have decided not to have any children. And there are many marriages where at least some of the children are from the wife’s former marriage, or the husband’s, or both.Sometimes these children spend all of their time with one parent from the former marriage; sometimes they are shared between the two former spouses (配偶).
Thus, one can find every type of family arrangement. There are marriages without children; marriages with children from only the persent marriage; marriages with “fulltime” children from both the present and former marriages; marriages with “fulltime” children from the present marriage and “parttime” children from former marriages. There are stepfathers, stepmothers, halfbrothers, and halfsisters.It is not all that unusual for a child to have four parents and eight grandparents! These are great changes from the traditional nuclear family.But even so, even in the midst of all this, there remains one constant: Most Americans spend most of their adult lives married.
13.By calling American marrying people the author means that .
A.Americans are more traditional than Europeans
B.Americans expect more out of marriage than Europeans
C.there are more married couples in U.S.A. than in Europe
D.more of Americans,as compared with Europeans, prefer marriage and they accept it at a younger age
14.Divorced Americans .
A.prefer the way they live
B.will most likely remarry
C.have lost faith in marriage
D.are the vast majority of people in the society
15.Which of the following can be presented as the picture of today’s American families?
A.Many types of family arrangements have become socially acceptable.
B.A typical American family is made up of only a husband and a wife.
C.Americans prefer to have more kids than before. D.There are no nuclear families any more.
16.“Part time”children .
A.spend some of their time with their half brothers and some of their time with their halfsisters
B.spend all of their time with one parent from the previous marriage
C.are shared between the two former spouses D.cannot stay with “fulltime” children
17.Even though great changes have taken place in the structure of American families, .
A.the vast majority of Americans still have faith in marriage
B.the functions of marriage remain unchanged
C.most Americans prefer a second marriage
D.most divorced Americans would rather not remarry

Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way,my br others and sisters soon abandoned their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them,I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.
Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents,aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds, and above all, the insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world and my enthusiasm had led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people's observations and discoveries. Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle, because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the title of scientific research.
But curiosity,a keen eye,a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist: one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is selfdiscipline, a quality I lack. A scientist, up to a certain point,can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the two,you get the best of both worlds.
1.The first paragraph tells us the author .
A.was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood
B.lost his hearing when he was a child
C.didn’t like his brothers and sisters
D.was born to a naturalist’s family
2.The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because .
A.he didn’t live very long with them
B.the family was extremely large
C.he was too young when he lived with them
D.he was fully occupied with observing nature
3.It can be inferred from the passage that the author was .
A.a scientist as well as a naturalist
B.a naturalist but not a scientist
C.no more than a born naturalist
D.first of all a scientist
4.The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he .
A.has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic
B.lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist
C.just reads about other people’s observations and discoveries
D.comes up with solutions in a most natural way

Hiring a selfdrive car really adds to the enjoyment of your holiday. There are so many places of interest to visit, and if you enjoy seeing more than just the city center there’s no better way to explore than by car.

Hire Charges

What’s included
a)Unlimited mileage(英里数)

b)Expenses on oil, maintenance(保养) and repairs, which will be repaid on production of invoices(发票)

What’s not included

a)Personal accident insurance.

b)Garaging, petrol, parking and traffic fines.

Condition of Hire
The shortest rental period at these specially low prices is three days. For prices for periods of one or two days you only see our representative at the hotel.
Car hire must be booked six weeks or more before arrival in London to guarantee a car. But if you have been unable to make a booking in advance, please see our representative at the hotel who may still be able to help you.
The car types on the sheet are examples of the types of cars in each price range, but a particular car cannot be guaranteed.
Upon delivery the driver(s) will be asked to sign the car hire company’s Conditions of Hire.
If you decide to hire a car, just fill in the Booking Form and return it to us. A booking fee of ￡12 as part of the car hire cost is required.
Should you be forced to cancel your car hire booking after payment in full (two weeks before date of hire), a cancellation charge of ￡12 will be made.
5.From the advertisement we can see a car hirer will pay.
A.insurance against damage to the car
B.insurance against injury to the driver
C.the cost of maintenance of the car
D.the cost of repairs to the car
6.Which of the following is NOT true judging from the advertisement?
A.Such an advertisement most likely appears in a newspaper.
B.You are required to fill in a form before you hire a car.
C.You are pretty certain to hire a particular car if you’d like to.
D.You have to pay a booking fee when you hire a car from the company.
7.If car hirers change their minds after paying the whole cost of hiring, the ￡12 booking fee is .
A.partly returned
B.doubly paid
C.not returned at all
D.returned within two weeks.

In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastestgrowing U. S. minority. As their children began moving up through the nation schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U. S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English. They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.
Most AsianAmerican students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese,Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.
8.While making tremendous achievements at college, AsianAmerican students .
A.feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English
B.are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong Asian character
C.still worry about unfair treatment in society
D.generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents
9.What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian Americans?
A.A solid foundation in basic mathematics and Asian culture.
B.Hard work and intelligence.
C.Parents’ help and a limited knowledge of English.
D.Asian culture and the American educational systerm.
10.Few Asian American students major in human sciences mainly because .
A.their English is not good enough
B.they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgment in these areas
C.there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures
D.they know little about American culture and society
11.Why do “both explanations” (Para. 3) worry Asian Americans?
A.They are afraid that they will again be isloated from American society in general.
B.People will think that Asian students rely on their parents for success.
C.Asian Americans will be a threat to other minorities.
D.American academic achievements have taken on too strong an Asian character.

How to eat healthfully can be espeically complex for working women who often have neither the desire nor the time to cook for themselves (or for anyone else). Registered dietitian(营养专家)Barhara Morrissey suggests that a few simple rules can help.
“Go for nutrientdense foods,”she suggests, “foods that contain a multiple of nutrients. For example, select whole wheat bread as a breakfast food, rather than coffee cake. Or drink orange juice rather than orange drink, which contains only a small percentage of real juice-the rest is largely colored sugar water. You just can’t compare the value of these foods, the nutrientdense ones are so superior, ”she emphasizes.
Morrissey believes that variety is not only the spice of life—it’s the foundation of a healthful diet. Diets which are based on one or two foods are not only virtually impossible to keep up the strength, they can be very harmful, she says, because nutrients aren’t supplied in sufficient amounts or balance.
According to Morrissey, trying to find a diet that can cure your illnesses, or make you superwoman is a fruitless search. As women, many of us are too concerned with staying thin, she says, and we believe that vitamins are some kind of magic cure to replace food.
“We need carbohydrates, protein and fat—they are like the wood in the fireplace. The vitamins and minerals are like the match, the spark, for the fuel,”she explains. “We need them all, but in a very different proportions. And if the fuel isn’t there, the spark is useless.”
12.From the paragraph we know that working women .
think cooking is especially complicated
do not share the same views with registered dietitians
are busy and not interested in cooking
D. are likely to eat healthfully
13.Orange juice is different from orange drink in that .
A.it contains only a small percentage of real juice
B.it is natural, nutritious and prepared from real oranges
C.it is largely orangecolored sugar water
D.it produces nothing but calories
14.In Paragraph 4, “a fruitless search”means .
A.an effort with no results
B.a search for a diet without fruits
C.a research on fruitless diet
D.a diet serving as medicine
15.Many women take it for granted, according to passage that .
A.a balanced diet can result in being fat
B.staying thin and healthy are both possible
C.lack of variety in diets leads to staying thin
D.vitamins are some kind of subsitutions for food
16.By “if the fuel isn’t there, the spark is useless”,the author means .
A.carbohydrates, protein and fat are enough to support a human life
B.vitamins and minerals are virtually of no valuew.
C.carbohydrates, protein and fat are as important as vitamins and minerals
D.without carbohydrates, protein and fat, vitamins and minerals are of no use

A．looking at a picture	B．recording sounds
C．enjoying yourself	D．blowing out a candle