Marriages improve after children grow up and move out，according to an academic study, which suggests an “empty nest” is not always a bad thing.
Popular wisdom has it that parents’ relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.However, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together.
In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”．
Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home. Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other’s company more.
One of the participants in the study，which is published in the journal Psychological Science，said：“Once the kids grow up...there’s some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed，so things are a little more relaxed.”
Psychologist Sara Gorchoff，who carried out the investigation，said: “The takehome message for couples with young children is ‘hang in there’．” Her coauthor Oliver John added：“Don’t wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner.”
However, Dr Dorothy Rowe，from the British Psychological Society，said the effects of living in an “empty nest” will depend on the parents’ relationship with their children.“If you’re just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life，then of course you’ll be pleased to see them go,” she said, “But if you’ve built your life around your children you’ll be terribly lonely.For some parents，their world falls apart when their children leave.”It is commonly believed that___________.
| A．marriages improve after children leave home |
| B．an “empty nest” is always a happy thing |
| C．parents’ relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out |
| D．parents will be pleased after their children leave home |
When did many couples feel happier according to the study?
| A．At age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”. |
| B．Shortly after marrying. |
| C．Once their children reached their teenage years. |
| D．When they were bringing up babies. |
Marriages improve after children fly the coop not because___________.
| A．many couples are able to spend time together |
| B．many couples are able to enjoy each other’s company |
| C．things are a little more relaxed |
| D．many couples needn’t work at all |
The author of the passage tends to agree that____________.
| A．parents should build their life around their kids |
| B．parents should schedule quality time with each other before kids leave home |
| C．parents’ relationship with their kids has no effect on marriages at all |
| D．parents should be pleased to see their kids leave home |
When we were very small, we realized that having friends was important.Some of us even had imaginary(想象中的)friends. The need for friends continued as we grew into our teens.Friends played a big part in forming our personalities(性格). As adults，it is still important for us to have friends.
True friends are people who like us though we made mistakes and who listen to us and tell us the truth. Friends support our decisions and tell us when we’re foolish. They laugh with us and share our sadness. They are our partners and share interests with us. They stimulate us when we are feeling down. They are people we aren’t afraid of telling our secret wishes to or what is really on our minds.
Friends are our supporters. When you can depend on friends, you feel safe and warm. Friends offer acceptance and emotional(情感的)support. At times, they also help with our everyday lives, cooking a meal, doing chores, or giving us a lift when we need one. Friends also are there to offer advice, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on.
Friends also help us reduce stress. Not only do they listen to us when we feel stressed, but they also discuss what is stressing us. Sharing interests and doing activities with friends help us forget about problems at work or at home. For a short time, we can lose ourselves in a pleasant activity and perhaps laugh and breathe more easily.What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How to Reduce Stress |
| B．How to Make New Friends |
| C．The Importance of Friends |
| D．The Qualities of Good Friends |
The underlined word“stimulate” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.
| A．educate | B．encourage |
| C．surprise | D．dislike |
We can learn from the third paragraph that friends always________.
| A．laugh at us when we’re foolish |
| B．tell us other people’s secrets |
| C．share our sadness and interests |
| D．support us when we need help |
We can learn from the passage that________.
| A．people should make friends anytime |
| B．friends are people who allow you to cry |
| C．a friend helps you in many ways |
| D．good friends are always difficult to meet |
What is language for？Some people seem to think it’s for practising grammar rules and learninglists of words－the longer the lists，the better. That’s wrong. Language is for the exchange(交流)of ideas and information. It’s meaningless knowing all about a language if you can’t use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules，but they can’t speak correctly or fluently.They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard Shaw once wrote，“Foreigners often speak English too correctly.” But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They’re English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule，it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong，becomes right. People not only make history，they make language. But a people can only make its own language. It can’t make another people’s language. So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar，but they shouldn’t overdo(做过头)it. They should put communication(交际)first.Language is used to________.
| A．express oneself |
| B．practise grammar rules |
| C．talk with foreigners only |
| D．learn lists of words |
Generally，when an American or an Englishman speaks English，he or she________.
| A．never makes mistakes |
| B．often makes mistakes |
| C．can’t avoid making mistakes |
| D．always makes mistakes |
The sentence“Foreigners often speak English too correctly.”means that________.
| A．foreigners speak correct English |
| B．foreigners speak incorrect English |
| C．foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules |
| D．foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English |
When we speak a foreign language，we should________.
| A．speak in Chinese way |
| B．speak by the rules |
| C．speak to native speakers |
| D．not be afraid of making mistakes |
Farah was sitting in the kitchen going over the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her friends for a party.
“Farah，aren’t you going to invite Hafsa？”her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend since childhood.“Mother，you know I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have some rules about people we can be friends with，”Farah answered. “Really？And what are the rules？”her mother asked. “Well，only very pretty girls can be part of our group. And Hafsa is so...you know...dark.” “I cannot believe it，”her mother said angrily.
As Farah left the kitchen，her father calledher from the living room. Farah went to her father and paled when she saw the exam report in his hands. “Farah，what has happened to your grades？You have failed in Mathematics，”her father said. Farah had no answer. The truth was that the activities of Purple Girls Club left her with very little time for studies.
“Farah，it says that you can take part in supplementary exams(补考).If your grades don’t improve then，I’ll cancel(取消) your trip to Spain.”
Farah went to her room and called Gina，the leader of Purple Girls Club，“Gina，can you help me to complete my notes before the exams？” Gina laughed，“Exams？Who cares about exams？” One by one，she called her friends in the club but no one seemed to care or wanted to help.
Farah knew Hafsa would help her. Farah also knew Hafsa had been hurt by her，but Hafsa said，“If you need any help，just let me know. We can study together till your exams.”
Next Monday，as two friends entered the school together，Gina called out，“Farah，you know our rules.You cannot be friends with those who do not belong to our club.”
“Gina，I have a new rule about friendship，”Farah replied.After Farah became a member of Purple GirlsClub，she chose a friend according to a person’s________.
| A．looks | B．usual activities |
| C．grades | D．favorite colors |
Farah became pale after going to her father because________.
| A．he didn’t allow her to go to Spain |
| B．she didn’t do well in her exams |
| C．she had to leave Purple Girls Club |
| D．he asked her to improve her grades |
Which word can best describe Hafsa?
| A．Silly | B．Beautiful | C．Rude | D．Kind |
What lesson can we learn from the passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．A perfect friend will never be found. |
| C．Be slow in choosing a friend. |
| D．Friendship can be developed easily. |
We know that cigarette smoking kills． So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice - safer than tobacco． Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them． They are powered by battery （电池）．
However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control（CDC） seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings?
The answer is children． Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices, In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns． More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger． The devices had made them sick．
Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health, He says the problem is regulation． Meaning, the U．S． federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine． Mr．McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger． Mr．McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed． It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance． And too much nicotine can kill,
Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do．He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes． "So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest．" E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes． So, the U．S．Surgeon General Boris D． Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use．
But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless． They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes． In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a "gateway" to the real thing．What do the producers think of e-cigarettes?
| A．Dangerous． | B．Expensive． |
| C．Safer． | D．Cheaper． |
Why did the CDC receive so many calls about e-cigarettes?
| A．Parents feared that their children might get poisoned, |
| B．Parents found the device useless in quitting smoking． |
| C．Children swallowed the liquid nicotine from the device． |
| D．Children might get addicted to playing with the device． |
It can be inferred from the passage that．
A． the CDC wants to develop a better type of e-cigarettes
B． the government is in favor of the use of e-cigarettes
C． Surgeon General Boris D． Lushniak is a heavy smoker
D． smokers most probably can't quit smoking using e-cigarettesWhat is Tim McAfee's opinion about smoking?
| A．Adults should use harmless e-cigarettes． |
| B．Smoking e-cigarettes can make a person sick． |
| C．He claims that regulations should be made to ban smoking． |
| D．He is concerned about the teens using e-cigarettes． |
It's time for your family to relax and have fun! The following family adventures have links for you to get more information．
Take the Rides of Your Life
Visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, to seek thrills "Even though it's located off the beaten track, experts regularly praise Cedar Point as the best overall theme park of the country," says U．S． News & World Report． The park calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world, and with 16 to choose from, it's hard to argue． It's open daily from May 10 through Labor Day; weekends only from Labor Day through November 2．
Tickets start at $ 48．99 per person if purchased online．
http://www．cedarpoint,com．
Wander Free on a Dude farm
Dust off your cowboy boots and ready your cowboy hats for a visit to this Rocky Mountains paradise． Located in Augusta, Montana, "The farm has everything an aspiring cowboy or girl could long for," says Sunset magazine, including hiking trails, fishing trips, campfires with sing-alongs, and, of course, horseback rides． The large farm operates from June through September; kids-only and adults-only
programs are available．
Total cost starts at $ 1,360 per adult, $ 1,276 per teen, and $ 1,168 per child．
http://www．triplejranch．com．
Dig for Dinosaurs
Most kids （and adults） love dinosaurs, and to make their wildest dreams come true, head to Fruita, Colorado． The Museum of Western Colorado offers Dino Digs for children ages five and older． You can choose from one-, three-, and five-day expeditions． "Imagine how your child will feel when she helps unearth the fossilized（化石） bones of ancient species," says Outside magazine． It lasts from May to October．
Digs start at $ 125 per person．
http://www．museumofwesternco．com
Surf Sand Dunes
Swap your snowboard for a sand-board, and head to Sand Master Park in Florence, Oregon． Real Simple recommends learning the basics at this private dune park, "which offers board rentals and lessons - often taught by world-champion sand boarders．" Then you 'can hit the ",slopes" to test your skills． From March to June, and September to November．
Rentals for a sand-board start at $ 10 per day; lessons start at $ 45 an hour per person．
http:/'www．sandmasterpark．com．What is special about Cedar Point?
| A．You can visit Cedar Point on weekends． |
| B．It has 16 roller coasters for you to choose from． |
| C．You can help unearth the fossilized bones of dinosaurs． |
| D．It offers lessons taught by world-champion sand boarders． |
If you have a 3-day holiday in April, which of the following may interest you most?
| A．Take the Rides of Your Life |
| B．Wander Free on a Dude farm |
| C．Dig for Dinosaurs |
| D．Surf Sand Dunes |
Where will you probably find this passage?
| A．A science fiction． |
| B．An adventure storybook． |
| C．A travel magazine． |
| D．A theme park advertisement． |