For generations here in the deepest South, there had been a great taboo（禁忌）: publicly crossing the color line for love. Less than 45 years ago, marriage between blacks and whites was illegal, and it has been forbidden for much of the time since.
So when a great job about an hour’s drive north of the Gulf Coast attracted him, Jeffrey Norwood, a black college basketball coach, had reservations. He was in a serious relationship with a woman who was white and Asian.
“You’re thinking about a life in South Mississippi?” his father said in a skeptical voice, recalling days when a black man could face mortal（致命的） danger just being seen with a woman of another race, regardless of intentions. "Are you sure?"
But on visits to Hattiesburg, the younger Mr. Norwood said he liked what he saw: growing diversity. So he moved, married, and, with his wife, had a baby girl, who was counted on the last census（人口普查） as black, white and Asian. Taylor Rae Norwood, three, is one of thousands of mixed-race children who have made this state home to one of the nation's most rapidly expanding multiracial populations, up 70 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to new data from the Census Bureau.
In the first comprehensive accounting of multiracial Americans since statistics were first collected about them in 2000, reporting from the 2010 census, made public in recent days, shows that the nation’s mixed-race population is growing far more quickly than many researchers had estimated, particularly in the South and parts of the Midwest. That conclusion is based on the bureau’s analysis of 42 states; the data from the remaining eight states will be released soon.
In North Carolina, the mixed-race population doubled. In Georgia, it grew by more than 80 percent, and by nearly as much in Kentucky and Tennessee. In Indiana, Iowa and South Dakota, the multiracial population increased by about 70percent.
Census officials estimated the national multiracial growth rate was about 35 percent since2000 according to the known result, when seven million people ----- 2.4 percent of the population ------ chose more than one race.If a black man married a white woman 50 years ago, the worst result was that _____.
| A．he was sentenced to death | B．he was considered to be immoral |
| C．he was criticized by the public | D．he was treated as a lawbreaker |
The underlined word “serious” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “____”.
| A．stable | B．bad | C．mixed | D．dangerous |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
| A．Jeffrey Norwood was born in Hattiesburg and grew up there. |
| B．Taylor Rae Norwood’s mother is a white-Asian. |
| C．70 percent of the people in Mississippi are multiracial. |
| D．Mississippi has the largest multiracial population in the US. |
Which of the following states had the fastest growth rate of mixed-race population?
| A．Georgia. | B．Tennessee. | C．North Carolina. | D．South Dakota. |
There was once a farmer. His land was hilly and the soil was not the best. He had a cow that wasn’t giving much milk and he had chickens who were laying few eggs. The place looked run-down (破败的) and the barn and fences (篱笆) needed repair. The farmer and his wife felt dejected.
One stormy evening, a poorly-dressed man knocked on their door, asking if he could get shelter for the night. They shared the food that had been prepared, while they talked a great deal about the farm.
When the stranger left the following morning, he thanked the farmer and his wife and pulled a little bag of gold pieces out of his pocket. He said that maybe this would help them. He added that he’d come by next year with hopes of finding a revived farm.
After this, the farmer and his wife often talked about whether they should buy a more promising cow. Other times they considered whether they should buy chickens who laid more eggs. However, every conversation ended with the farmer trusting the farm would improve as he found himself fixing the barn and the fences, caring for the animals, preparing food for themselves and their animals.
The farmer beamed (眉开眼笑) when the stranger did come by again a year later. Everything looked so much better. The stranger asked, “What did you use the gold for?”
The farmer said, “We hid the gold under a kitchen tile (地砖) and, while we often thought of it, we never did think of anything we needed the gold for.”
Then the farmer added thoughtfully, “I do thank you, though, ever so much. You gave us what we really needed to keep going — you lifted our spirits.”
Saying that, the farmer removed the tile and cheerfully returned the gold to the stranger. The underlined word “dejected” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_____”.
| A．kind and generous |
| B．surprised and delighted |
| C．disappointed and unhappy |
| D．strong and fearless |
One year later, the stranger visited the farmer to _____.
| A．get his gold pieces back |
| B．see if the farm had improved |
| C．get shelter for the night |
| D．give the farmer more money |
From the passage, we can conclude that what the farmer really needed was _____.
| A．land rich enough to farm on |
| B．something to keep their spirits up |
| C．scientific knowledge of agriculture |
| D．money to improve his farm |
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers (青少年). But last summer , Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son : suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents . “ The door to his room is always shut .” Joanna noticed .
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter . “She used to cuddle up (蜷伏)with me on the sofa and talk ,” said Mark . “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something . Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady . The problem is figuring out which time is which .”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds . “In fact , parents are first on the list .” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers . “This completely changes during the teen years .” Riera explained . “They talk to their friends first , then maybe their teachers , and their parents last .”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them . To break down the wall of silence , parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say , and try to find ways to talk and write to them . And they must give their children a mental break , for children also need freedom , though young . Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend , not a manager , with their children is a better way to know them . “The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son __.
| A．is always busy with his studies | B．doesn’t want to be disturbed |
| C．keeps himself away from his parents | D．begins to dislike his parents |
What troubles Tina and Mark most is that __.
| A．their daughter isn’t as lovely as before |
| B．they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly |
| C．they don’t know what to say to their daughter |
| D．their daughter talks with them only when she needs help |
Which of the following best explains “ the wall of silence” in the last paragraph ?
| A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends . |
| B．Teenagers do not want to understand their parents . |
| C．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents . |
| D．Teenagers talk little about their own lives . |
What can be learned from the passage ?
| A．Parents are unhappy with their growing children . |
| B．Parents have suitable ways to talk with their teenagers . |
| C．Parents should be patients with their silent teenagers . |
| D．Parents should try to understand their teenagers . |
A few years ago, an Englishman called Roy Jones went on holiday to a small seaside town in the west of England. He was swimming in the sea one day when, as he opened his mouth, his false teeth fell out and floated away. The following year, Mr. Jones returned to the same town. As he was having dinner in a local café one evening, he mentioned the story of his lost teeth to the manager. The manager looked surprised. He explained that he had found a set of false teeth on the beach last month. Then he asked Roy Jones if he wanted to try them on. “OK”, said Mr. Jones. “I suppose it won’t do any harm.” When the manager brought him the teeth, Mr. Jones put them into his mouth, and laughed and laughed. They were his.
In 1987, an American couple called Jane and Robert Bentley went for a picnic on a beach in California. When they returned home, Mrs. Bentley realized that she had lost her wedding ring. It wasn’t a lot of money but it was valuable to Jane Bentley. The Bentleys drove straight back to the beach, and searched for the ring for three hours, but could not find it. A few months later, Mr. Bentley went fishing off the same beach. As he pulled a large crab out of the sea, he noticed that there was something attached to one of its claws. It was his wife’s wedding ring!
At the end of the 19th century, a young woman called Rose Harcourt was on her honeymoon in Barmouth, North Wales, when she lost a gold bracelet her husband had given her as a wedding gift. Feeling very upset, she went straight to the police stations and asked if anyone had found her bracelet. Unfortunately, no one had. Twenty-five years later, the Harcourts returned to Barmouth to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They were sitting on the beach one day when Mrs. Harcourt noticed something gold in the sand by the edge of the sea. She walked down to see what it was, and discovered her gold bracelet that had been missing for 25 years. Roy Jones lost his false teeth __________ .
| A．when he opened his mouth to have some food |
| B．when he opened his mouth as he was swimming |
| C．The moment he got into the sea to start swimming |
| D．when he was having his holiday at the sea side |
Jane Bentley’s wedding ring was missing for __________ before it was found.
| A．three hours | B．almost a year | C．several months | D．25 years |
From the story of the Harcourts we may understand the underlined “to celebrate their wedding anniversary” may be close in meaning to __________ .
| A．having a wedding again | B．experiencing their honeymoon feelings again |
| C．having a honeymoon again | D．joining in the local celebrations |
In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bicycles to work every day. In New York City, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bicycles to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.
For several years this group has been trying to get the city government to help bicycle riders. For example. They want the city to draw special lanes for bicycles only on some of the main streets, because when bicycle riders must use the same lanes as cars, there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.
But no bicycle lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea-they say it will slow the traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don’t like the idea-they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park-the largest place of open ground in New York-is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bicycles only. But Bike for a Better City says that this is not enough and keeps fighting to get bicycle lanes downtown.In New York, a group of bike riders ________.
| A．are keeping practicing for health |
| B．have no cars of their own |
| C．are complaining there are not enough buses |
| D．are trying to settle the problem of air pollution |
The advantage of the special lanes is that ________.
| A．they will make cars and buses run slowly |
| B．they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks |
| C．they will make the city more beautiful |
| D．the lanes will prevent accidents |
The government has not decided whether special lanes should be drawn _______.
| A．so that everyone is disappointed |
| B．because there are different opinions |
| C．because most people travel by train |
| D．because Bike for a Better City is not strong enough |
Cars are not permitted to enter Central Park on weekends _________.
| A．so that Bike for a Better City is pleased |
| B．so that everyone is happy |
| C．and bicycle lanes are drawn |
| D．but Bike for a Better City is still not satisfied |
Recently, one of my best friends, whom I've shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me. Since I moved to a new town several years ago，we've both always looked forward to the few times a year when we can see each other.
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how he experimented with drugs and was into other selfdestructive（自我毁灭的） behavior. I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents about where she was going and even stealing out to see this guy because they didn't want her around him. No matter how hard I tried to tell her that she deserved better, she didn't believe me. Her selfrespect seemed to have disappeared.
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble. I felt like I was getting nowhere. I just couldn't believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang out with a group of losers, especially her boyfriend.
By the time she left，I was really worried about her and exhausted by the experience. It had been so frustrating，I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship, but I didn't. I put the power of friendship to the final test. We'd been friends for far too long. I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself. I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer anything.
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend. I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face. It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life. Never had I been so proud of a friend.In the writer's opinion，her friend ________.
| A．was a girl with no selfrespect |
| B．could find a better boyfriend |
| C．was brave enough to stick to her own choice |
| D．didn't value the writer's suggestion |
What did the writer worry about?
| A．She would lose the friendship with her. |
| B．Her friend's parents would be worried about their daughter. |
| C．Her friend would get into great trouble with the boy. |
| D．Her friend's boyfriend would be in great trouble. |
We may learn from Paragraph 3 that the writer________.
| A．didn't want to go anywhere else |
| B．understood her friend's hanging with her boyfriend |
| C．couldn't believe that her friend's choice was acceptable |
| D．doubted that she could in any way help her friend |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Friendship starting from childhood is not reliable. |
| B．Friendship is a cure for any injury in life. |
| C．Friendship should be everlasting once begun. |
| D．Friendship can have magical power in life. |