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 |
If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles（蜡烛）. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past twenty years, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes(孔子学院) in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing(比赛)to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the west, even if his birthday is. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______.
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers’ interest in the topic |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______.
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C． Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| D．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
The passage is likely to appear in a _______.
| A．leaflet | B．history paper |
| C．newspaper | D．philosophy textbook |
Dear Aunty,
After years of her crying. I finally gave in and allowed my daughter to have a cat. I now regret my decision. As someone needs to have a clean, tidy house, I no longer feel relaxed in my own home. If I tell her, “sorry, the cat has to go.” She will be heartbroken. What can I do?
-Feline Phobic
Dear Phobic,
I’m an animal lover and on your kid’s and cat’s side. Tell your daughter your problem. Ask her to help you come up with a plan. Perhaps you can agree to allow the cat only in certain areas of the house. This is a chance for your daughter to develop the sense of responsibility owning a pet requires.
Dear Aunty,
I got the highest grade on a biology test. Now the popular kids think I’m brainy, and want me in their lab group. I knew I was being used. Now, they want my homework. What should I do?
-Lily
Dear Lily.
Popularity can come at a price, but it’s no excuse to cheat. Offer to help new friends with their homework, but don’t give them yours.
Dear Aunty,
I’m one of six assistants in a dental(牙科的) office. But I’m new-there just four months. I’ve tried to join conversations, but they just ignore me. They go shopping together. No one invites me. How can I break into the circle?
-Crystal
Dear Crystal,
Humans run in packs like dogs. When a new dog enters the pack, a lot of discovery goes on. So bring cookies for everyone! Then try making friends with one co-worker. Invite her to lunch. When you get familiar with each other, tell her how hard you’re finding the situation at work. chances are, she’ll take you under her wing.Aunty thinks that Phobic should .
| A．try to persuade her daughter to give in. |
| B．spend more time cleaning the house. |
| C．ask her daughter to help tidy up |
| D．find a better way to keep the cat. |
The underlined word “brainy” in the passage means .
| A．excited | B．friendly | C．intelligent | D．hard-working |
According to the passage, .
| A．Phobic can’t get along well with her daughter. |
| B．Aunty is fond of animals like cats. |
| C．Crystal’s coworkers are cheating her. |
| D．Lily has no interest in lab experiments. |
Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.
There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime, it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.
The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steer them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
| A．Those who often take exercise. |
| B．Those who often watch television. |
| C．Those who often have meals at home. |
| D．Those who often walk to school. |
The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because
| A．their parents often cook meals for them |
| B．they are too busy to go out and play |
| C．they can' t choose what to eat |
| D．there are too many fast food shops around |
The word "steer" underlined in the last sentence most probably means _______.
| A．force | B．guide | C．expect | D．observe |
The main purpose of the text is to _________.
| A．tell a story | B．provide facts |
| C．give advice | D．compare opinions |
My friend, Emma Daniels, spent the summer of 1974 traveling in Israel. During her month-long stay in Jerusalem she often went to a café called Chocolate Soup. It was run by two men, one of whom—Alex—used to live in Montreal. One morning when Emma went in for coffee, while chatting with her new friend Alex, she mentioned that she had just finished the book she was reading and had nothing else to read. Alex said he had a wonderful book she might like, and that he’d be happy to lend it to her. As he lived just above the café, he quickly ran up to get it. The book he handed to Emma just minutes later was Markings, a book by a former Secretary— General of the United Nations (UN).
Emma had never read it, nor had she ever bought a copy. But, when she opened it up, she was floored to see her own name and address inside the cover in her own handwriting. It turned out that the summer before, at a concert back in Montreal, Emma had met a Californian who was in town visiting friends. They decided to exchange addresses, but neither of them had any paper. The man opened up a book he was carrying in his backpack(背包) and asked Emma to write her name and address inside. When he returned to California, he left the book behind in Montreal, and his friend Alex kept it. When Alex later moved to Jerusalem, he took the book along.Alex lent Emma the book, Markings, .
| A．to show his friendliness to her |
| B．to show his interest in reading |
| C．to tell her about the importance of the UN |
| D．to let her write her name and address inside |
How did Emma feel the moment she opened the book?
| A．Pleased. | B．Satisfied | C．Worried. | D．Surprised. |
We can learn from the text that the Californian.
| A．met Emma at a concert | B．invited Emma to a concert |
| C．introduced Emma to his friend | D．left Emma his backpack |
Who was supposed to be the first owner of the book?
| A．An official of the UN. | B．A coffee shop owner. |
| C．A friend of the author’s. | D．Alex’s friend from California. |
It was a cold December, and Mrs. Bell wanted to do a lot of shopping. She waited until it was Saturday, when her husband was free, and she took him to the shops with her to pay for everything and to carry for her what she had bought. They went to a lot of shops, and Mrs. Bell bought everything she could think of.
She often stopped and said, “Look, Peter! Isn’t that beautiful?”
“All right, my dear. How much is it?” answered Mr. Bell, and then he took money out to buy it for her.
It was almost dark when they came out of the last shop, and Mr. Bell was tired. He was thinking about a nice drink by the side of a warm fire home. Suddenly his wife looked up at the sky and said, “Look at that beautiful moon, Peter!”
Without stopping, Mr. Bell answered at once. “All right, dear. How much is it?” Then he took his wallet out of his pocket. Mrs. Bell did shopping ________.
| A．alone | B．together with her husband |
| C．every day | D．in the morning |
Mrs. Bell took her husband to the shops because ________.
| A．he liked beautiful things | B．he liked to do shopping too. |
| C．she wanted him to pay money | D．he was always free |
Mrs. Bell bought ________ in the shops.
| A．nothing | B．a drink |
| C．the most beautiful thing | D．a number of things |
Mr. Bell _______ shopping.
| A．was addicted to | B．was thinking about |
| C．was tired of | D．was very interested in |
According to the last paragraph, we know Mr. Bell _______.
| A．wanted to buy the moon |
| B．did not really know what his wife was saying |
| C．was a millionaire |
| D．did not like the idea of buying the moon |