Dad loved children. And he always wanted a 21 family. Eventually, he got what he wanted with twelve children in the family. Without fail, he would show us all to visitors.
Once, Dad 22 presented the first three children in the family, Ann, Mary and Ernestine, to some visitors. Then he picked up a fourth child, and said, “And this is our 23 model, complete with all the improvements. And don’t think that this is all, we are 24 the 1953 model some time next month.”
But what he 25 most was taking us out for a drive. On one occasion a man in a village we were passing through shouted 26 that he had seen eleven people in our car, not 27 Mum and Dad. 28 , Dad called out over his shoulder, “You 29 the second baby up from the front here, Mister.”
Another time, Dad told us this joke, though we were not sure whether he was telling us the 30 . Mum, who was a psychologist, once went to give a lecture and left Dad in charge of the 31 . When Mum returned, she asked him if everything had been OK. He said everything was 32 except that one of the children had been taught a lesson because he had been 33 . When he pointed at the child that had been 34 Mum looked at him calmly and said, “That’s not one of ours, dear. He 35 next door.”
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With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation（孤独），more families are choosing to live together．
The doorway to peace and quiet，for Nick Bright at least，leads straight to his mother﹣in﹣law：she lives on the ground floor，while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters．
Four years ago they all moved into a three﹣storey Victorian house in Bristol ﹣ one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof．They share a front door and a washing machine，but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen，bathroom，bedroom and living room on the ground floor．
"We floated the idea to my mum of sharing a house，" says Kathryn Whitehead．Rita cuts in："We spoke more with Nick because I think it's a big thing for Nick to live with his mother﹣in﹣law．"
And what does Nick think？ "From my standpoint，it all seems to work very well．Would I recommend it？ Yes，I think I would．"
It's hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him，but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time．Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325，000 in 2001 to 419，000 in 2013．
Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common．Some people live with their elderly parents；many more adult children are returning to the family home，if they ever left．It is said that about 20% of 25﹣34﹣year﹣olds live with their parents，compared with 16% in 1991．The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million．
Stories like that are more common in parts of the world，where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted．In India，particularly outside cities，young women are expected to move in with their husband's family when they get married．
（1）Who mainly uses the ground floor in the Victorian house in Bristol？
| A． |
Nick． |
| B． |
Rita． |
| C． |
Kathryn． |
| D． |
The daughters． |
（2）What is Nick's attitude towards sharing the house with his mother﹣in﹣law？
| A． |
Positive． |
| B． |
Carefree． |
| C． |
Tolerant． |
| D． |
Unwilling． |
（3）What is the author's statement about multigenerational family based on？
| A． |
Family traditions． |
| B． |
Financial reports． |
| C． |
Published statistics． |
| D． |
Public opinions． |
（4）What is the text mainly about？
| A． |
Lifestyles in different countries． |
| B． |
Conflicts between generations． |
| C． |
A housing problem in Britain． |
| D． |
A rising trend of living in the UK． |
When "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was first shown to the public last month，a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard．But they weren't there to throw red paint on fur﹣coat﹣wearing film stars．Instead，one activist，dressed in a full﹣body monkey suit，had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers："Thanks for not using real apes（猿）!"
The creative team behind "Apes" used motion﹣capture（动作捕捉）technology to create digitalized animals，spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor's performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image（图象）．In this case，one of a realistic﹣looking ape．
Yet "Apes" is more exception than the rule．In fact，Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately．One nonprofit organization，which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment， is keeping tabs onmore than 2，000 productions this year．Already，a number of films，including "Water for Elephants，" "The Hangover Part Ⅱ" and "Zookeeper，" have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven't been treated properly．
In some cases，it's not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried；it's the off﹣set training and living conditions that are raising concerns．And there are questions about the films made outside the States，which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States．
（1）Why did the animal activists gather on Hollywood Boulevard？
| A． |
To see famous film stars． |
| B． |
To oppose wearing fur coats． |
| C． |
To raise money for animal protection． |
| D． |
To express thanks to some filmmakers． |
（2）What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about？
| A． |
The cost of making "Apes．" |
| B． |
The creation of digitalized apes． |
| C． |
The publicity about "Apes．" |
| D． |
The performance of real apes． |
（3）What does the underlined phrase "keeping tabs on" in paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
Listing completely． |
| B． |
Directing professionally． |
| C． |
Promoting successfully． |
| D． |
Watching carefully． |
（4）What can we infer from the last paragraph about animal actors？
| A． |
They may be badly treated． |
| B． |
They should take further training． |
| C． |
They could be traded illegally． |
| D． |
They would lose popularity． |
Journey Back in Time with Scholars
Classical Provence（13 days）
Journey through the beautiful countryside of Provence，France，with Prof．Ori Z．Soltes．We will visit some of the best﹣preserved Roman monuments in the world．Our tour also includes a chance to walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh and Gauguin．Fields of flowers，tile﹣roofed（瓦屋顶）villages and tasty meals enrich this wonderful experience．
Southern Spain（15 days）
Spain has lovely white towns and the scent（芳香）of oranges，but it is also a treasury of ancient remains including the cities left by the Greeks，Romans and Arabs．As we travel south from Madrid with Prof．Ronald Messier to historic Toledo，Roman Merida and into Andalucia，we explore historical monuments and architecture．
China's Sacred Landscapes（21 days）
Discover the China of "past ages，" its walled cities，temples and mountain scenery with Prof．Robert Thorp．Highlights（精彩之处）include China's most sacred peaks at Mount Tai and Hangzhou's rolling hills，waterways and peaceful temples．We will wander in traditional small towns and end our tour with an exceptional museum in Shanghai．
Tunisia（17 days）
Join Prof．Pedar Foss on our in﹣depth Tunisian tour．Tour highlights include the Roman city of Dougga，the underground Numidian capital at Bulla Regia，Roman Sbeitla and the remote areas around Tataouine and Matmata，unique for underground cities．Our journey takes us to picturesque Berber villages and lovely beaches．
（1）What can visitors see in both Classical Provence and Southern Spain？
| A． |
Historical monuments． |
| B． |
Fields of flowers． |
| C． |
Van Gogh's paintings． |
| D． |
Greek buildings． |
（2）Which country is Prof．Thorp most knowledgeable about？
| A． |
France． |
| B． |
Spain． |
| C． |
China． |
| D． |
Tunisia． |
（3）Which of the following highlights the Tunisian tour？
| A． |
White towns． |
| B． |
Underground cities． |
| C． |
Tile﹣roofed villages． |
| D． |
Rolling hills． |
I have a special place in my heart for libraries．I have for as long as I can remember．I was always an enthusiastic reader，sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child．Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties，I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library．
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old． It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time．
As I grew older and became a mother， the library took on a new place and an added meaningin my life． I had several children and books were our main source （来源） of entertainment． It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library， where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them．
I always read， using different voices， as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it! It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books．
Now，I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on from generation to generation．
As a novelist， I've found a new relationship with libraries． I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can't afford to purchase a book． I see libraries as a safe haven （避风港）for readers and writers， a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book． Libraries， in their own way， help fight book piracy （盗版行为）and I think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can． Encourage readers to use the library． Share library announcements on your social media． Frequent them and talk about them when you can．
（1）Which word best describes the author's relationship with books as a child？
| A． |
Cooperative． |
| B． |
Uneasy． |
| C． |
Inseparable． |
| D． |
Casual． |
（2）What does the underlined phrase "an added meaning" in paragraph 3 refer to？
| A． |
Pleasure from working in the library． |
| B． |
Joy of reading passed on in the family． |
| C． |
Wonderment from acting out the stories． |
| D． |
A closer bond developed with the readers． |
（3）What does the author call on other writers to do？
| A． |
Sponsor book fairs． |
| B． |
Write for social media． |
| C． |
Support libraries． |
| D． |
Purchase her novels． |
（4）Which can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Reading： A Source of Knowledge |
| B． |
My Idea about Writing |
| C． |
Library： A Haven for the Young |
| D． |
My Love of the Library |
When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list，fur probably didn't cross your mind．But some ecologists and fashion（时装）enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria（海狸鼠）．
Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have showcased nutria fur made into clothes in different styles．"It sounds crazy to talk about guilt﹣free fur ﹣unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year，" says Cree McCree，project director of Righteous Fur．
Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters ＄5 a tail．Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month．
Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild．"The ecosystem down there can't handle this non﹣native species（物种）．It's destroying the environment．It's them or us，" says Michael Massimi，an expert in this field．
The fur trade kept nutria in check for decades，but when the market for nutria collapsedin the late 1980s，the cat﹣sized animals multiplied like crazy．
Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana．He says it's not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green，but he has no doubt about it．Hunters bring in more than 300，000 nutria tails a year，so part of Mouton's job these days is trying to promote fur．
Then there's Righteous Fur and its unusual fashions．Model Paige Morgan says，"To give people a guilt﹣free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them ﹣ I think that's going to be a massive thing，at least here in New York．" Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable．She's trying to come up with a label to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco﹣friendly．
（1）What is the purpose of the fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn？
| A． |
To promote guilt﹣free fur． |
| B． |
To expand the fashion market． |
| C． |
To introduce a new brand． |
| D． |
To celebrate a winter holiday． |
（2）Why are scientists concerned about nutria？
| A． |
Nutria damage the ecosystem seriously． |
| B． |
Nutria are an endangered species． |
| C． |
Nutria hurt local cat﹣sized animals． |
| D． |
Nutria are illegally hunted． |
（3）What does the underlined word "collapsed" in paragraph 5 probably mean？
| A． |
Boomed． |
| B． |
Became mature． |
| C． |
Remained stable． |
| D． |
Crashed． |
（4）What can we infer about wearing fur in New York according to Morgan？
| A． |
It's formal． |
| B． |
It's risky． |
| C． |
It's harmful． |
| D． |
It's traditional． |