Most Americans believe that someone isn’t grown-up until the age of 26 and they should complete their education, have a full-time job, have a family to support and be financially independent. They also believe that becoming a real grown-up is a process which begins at about the age of 20 and takes about five years, according to the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.
The findings are based on a representative sample of 1,398 people over the age of 18 who were surveyed in person. The survey found that people expect the transitions to grown-up status to be completed at the following ages: age 20.9 self-supporting; age 21.1 no longer living with parents; age 21.2 having a full-time job; age 22.3 education completed; age 24.5 being able to support a family financially; age 25.7 getting married; and age 26.2 having a child.
“There is a large degree of agreement across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions,” said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only obvious pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family, having children and getting married. Older adults consider these more important than younger adults do. This probably shows in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values. The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, is completing education, followed by full-time employment, supporting a family, financial independence, living independently, and marriage.According to the first paragraph, someone is a grown-up when he _______.
| A．has found a full-time job |
| B．has finished his study in university |
| C．can make money and support himself after completing his education |
| D．can support a family and be financially independent after graduation |
A young man of 24 may be busy ________.
| A．finding a job | B．finding a girl friend |
| C．making money | D．preparing for his wedding |
From the passage, we learn that _________.
| A．being grown-up is just a matter of age |
| B．being grown-up is a process which takes some time |
| C．all people think completing education means being grown-up |
| D．the survey found everyone had a different view about being grown-up |
The best title for the passage should be “________”
| A．It takes a long time to grown up. |
| B．Are we grown-up yet? |
| C．Getting married means being grown-up. |
| D．Completing education means being grown-up |
Read the advertisements, and then choose the right answer.
1
Driver Wanted
(1) Clean driving license.
(2) Must be of smart appearance.
(3) Aged over 25.
Apply to: Capes Taxi,17 Palace Road, Boston.
2
Air Hostesses （空姐）for International Flights Wanted
(1)Applicants must be between 20 and 33 years old.
(2) Height 1.6m to 1.75m.
(3)Education to GCSE(General Certificate of Secondary Education)standard.
(4)Two languages. Must be able to swim.
Apply to: Recruitment office, Southern Airline, Heathrow Airport West.HR37KK.
3
Teachers Needed
(1For private language school。.
(2)Teaching experience unnecessary.
Apply to: The Director of Studies. Instant Language Ltd,279 Canal street, Boston.What prevents Jack, an experienced taxi driver, working for Capes Taxis?
| A．Fond of beer and wine. |
| B．Punished（处罚） for speeding and wrong parking. |
| C．Unable to speak a foreign language. |
| D．Not having college education. |
Ben, aged 22, fond of swimming and driving, has just graduated from a college. Which job might be given to him?
| A．Driving for Capes Taxis. |
| B．Working for Southern Airlines. |
| C．Teaching at Instant Language Ltd. |
| D．None of the three. |
What prevents Mary, aged 25, becoming an air hostess?
| A．She once broke a traffic law and was fined. |
| B．She can’t speak Japanese very well. |
| C．She has never worked as an airhostess before. |
| D．She doesn’t feel like working long hours flying abroad. |
Which of the following is not mentioned in the three advertisements?
| A．Marriage（婚姻）. | B．Male or female. |
| C．Education. | D．Working experience. |
A Frenchman went to a small Italian town and was staying with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he felt someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly out of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was gone. He thought that it must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided to follow him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. Neither of them understood the other’s language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist(拳头) and pointed at the Italian’s watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman.
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife what had happened. He was greatly surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian’s.The Frenchman went to a small Italian town _______.
| A．alone | B．with his wife |
| C．with his friend | D．with an Italian |
One night he went out for _______ alone.
| A．a ride | B．a walk | C．a drink | D．rest |
Suddenly he found his_______ was gone.
| A．watch | B．money | C．book | D．ring |
The Italian gave up his watch to him at last because ________.
| A．he had stolen the watch from the Frenchman. |
| B．he understood what the Frenchman wanted |
| C．he had picked up the watch on his w ay from work |
| D．he was afraid of the Frenchman |
Who was robbed of the watch on earth?
| A．The Frenchman was. | B．The Italian was. |
| C．Both of them was. | D．Neither of them was. |
The vast jungles of the Amazon rainforest are home to tribes(部落)mostly isolated(隔绝的)from the outside world，whose way of life，largely unchanged for hundreds of years，is now increasingly threatened by modern civilization．
Now, scientists discover they can monitor these“uncontacted tribes”using satellites，which would allow inexpensive and safe tracking of these tribes in order to protect them from outside threats．
In order to help conserve these uncontacted Indians，researchers need accurate estimates of their populations．One way to collect this data involves flying over their villages，but such overflights are both expensive and could fill these native peoples with fear．Another strategy involves meeting individuals on the ground，but among other risks，scientists could accidentally spread disease to members of the tribes．
Instead，scientists investigated whether satellite imaging could monitor uncontacted tribes. The result was inspiring．They confirmed their locations and measured the sizes of their Village，houses and gardens．“We can find isolated vinages with remote sensing and study them over time．”Walker told Live Science．“We can ask：Are they growing?Do they move?”
Surprisingly，based on the sizes of the houses and Villages，the scientists find the population densities of these isolated villages are about 10 times greater，on average，than other villages of native Brazilian peoples．This may be due to the fact that they have to live closer together because they are not as good at clearing the forest，since they lack modern devices like chainsaws and tractors，the researchers said．The tribes may also be afraid of spreading out due to fear of being attacked by outsiders，Walker said.
The researchers now plan to focus on 29 more isolated villages to“look at their ecology—that is．distance from rivers and roads—and use this to model where else we can find more isolated villages，”Walker said．What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Amazon tribes are disappearing． |
| B．Scientists found isolated Amazon tribes． |
| C．Modern civilization is threatening Amazon tribes． |
| D．Isolated Amazon tribes are monitored with satellites． |
Scientists don't want to meet the Indians on the ground due to the fear that_______
| A．they can’t get accurate data |
| B．they will be attacked by the Indians |
| C．they could pass disease to the Indians |
| D．they will catch disease from the Indians |
What do scientists find about the tribes?
| A．They live close together． |
| B．Their population is dropping. |
| C．Thev live in distributed areas． |
| D．Their population is increasing fast. |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．There are 29 Amazon tribes in total． |
| B．More isolated tribes are yet to be discovered． |
| C．It's easy for scientists to find isolated villages． |
| D．Isolated villages are distant from rivers and roads． |
Close your eyes and picture the city of Paris．Now imagine the city without its most famous landmark：the Eiffel Tower．
The unthinkable almost happened．
When French engineer Gustave Eiffel built this tower for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889，it was controversial．The iron structure contrasted(对比)sharply with the historic stone buildings of Paris．Eiffel’s four-legged iron archway was supposed to last only 20 years．That’s when Eiffel’s permit to operate the building would expire(过期)and the city could choose to tear it down．
Yet from the beginning．Eiffel had a strategy to save his building．If the Tower was linked to important research，he reasoned，no one would dare to take it down．So he would make it a grand laboratory for science．
Scientific research began just one day after the Tower opened to the public on May 6，1889．Eiffel installed a weather station on the Tower’s third(and highest)floor．He connected instruments by wire to the French weather bureau in Paris．With these，he measured wind speed and air pressure．
In 1903，still worried that his building might be torn down，Eiffel got a clever idea．He asked the French military to conduct its own research on radio communications at the Tower．He even paid the army’s costs．
French army captain Gustave Ferrié worked from a little wooden house at the base of the Tower's southern pillar．From there，he made radio contact with forts around Paris．Convinced of the importance of radio communications，the army set up a permanent radio station at the Tower．In 1910，the city of Paris renewed the structure’s permit for another 70 years．
This year marks the iconic structure’s 125th birthday．Over the years，research conducted there has brought dramatic and unexpected payoffs．During World War I，for instance，the French army used the Tower as a giant ear to receive radio messages．It even led to the arrest of one of the war's most famous spies．What does the author mean by“The unthinkable almost happened”?
| A．The Eiffel Tower was almost torn down． |
| B．Gustave Eiffel was more than an engineer． |
| C．It took great efforts to build the Eiffel Tower． |
| D．The Eiffel Tower has served important purposes． |
The Eiffel Tower was controversial because_____________．
| A．it was giant and ugly |
| B．it would expire too soon |
| C．some historic buildings had to be removed |
| D．it didn’t match the historic buildings of Paris |
How did Gustave Eiffel save the Eiffel Tower?
| A．By asking the army to defend it． |
| B．By showing its importance for tourism． |
| C．By making it a base for scientific research． |
| D．By asking the government to renew its permit． |
The arrest of a famous spy is mentioned to show．
| A．the Eiffel Tower has lost its initial value |
| B．the Eiffel Tower has existed long enough |
| C．research done in the Eiffel Tower had unexpected payoffs |
| D．the Eiffel Tower was successfully preserved during the war |
 Let’s Go Science Show Show Times：Wednesday，November12，2014 at 10：00 am Tickets：$9．00 per person for groups of ten or more；$14．00 for individuals The wacky and talented Professor Smart and Dr. Knowitall join forces for an educational，entertaining，exciting experiment demonstrating the basic principals of science．During the show you and your students will learn about air pressure，figure out flight，and get a handle on the scientific method． Appropriate for Grades l—5 |
 The Wizard of OZ Show Times：Tuesday，December 18，2014 at 9：00 am Tickets：$10．00 per person for groups of 10 or more；$14．00 for individuals Follow the yellow brick road．Join in Dorothy’s adventures over the rainbow with the Tin man，Scarecrow，Lion and，of course，the Wizard himself．More excitement is created when a life-size tornado travels from the stage through the audience．Meet old friends and new in this imaginative fun filled musical. Award-winning lighting and special effects． Appropriate for all ages |
 Charlotte’s Web Show Times：Thursday，December 4，2014 at ll：00 am & 12 noon Tickets：$12．00 per person for groups of 20 or more；$17．00 for individuals Charlotte’s Web is a beloved and memorable children’s classic that comes to life on stage in this musical story．The story is set in a Midwest country farm in the first half of the twentieth century． Meet Fern Arable，an imaginative eight-year-old farm girl，Wilbur，a small lovable pig，Charlotte，a large intellectual spider．and Templeton，a lazy yet clever rat．You’re sure to fall in love． Appropriate for Grades Pre-Kindergarten—3rd grade |
A father with his son to see Science Show will pay______．
| A．$9．00 | B．$18．00 |
| C．$14．00 | D．$28．00 |
A boy who likes stories about wizards will watch the musical at______．
| A．9：00 am | B．10：00 am |
| C．12 noon | D．15：00 pm |
Where does the story of a little girl with several animals take place?
| A．On a farm． | B．On a brick road． |
| C．In a kindergarten． | D．In a college library． |