Parents are a child’s first teachers. But some parents never learned from good examples. In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents.
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me. Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season.
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding. Delores Clemens says, “that's not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Cuddle your baby. Hug him! And she started to do that. They just want a little cuddling and a little love. And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year.
In class, with her baby son is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life.
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen. That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones. By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two.What is the text mainly about?
A.Parents who are a child’s first teachers. |
B.A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered. |
C.A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life. |
D.A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers. |
Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____.
A.help homeless young mothers become good parents |
B.provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter |
C.help mothers in New York be good parents |
D.teach some parents how to love their children |
What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?
A.She has a mother of five and a grandmother. |
B.She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged. |
C.She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers. |
D.She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. |
According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?
A.Canada | B.the United States of America |
C.Mexico | D.Britain |
A young British sailor was missing at sea yesterday in similar circumstances(情况) to the way his father died five years ago.
The dinghy(救生橡皮船), used to take Richard Smith, 21, to his yacht(快艇), was discovered empty, floating in seas off the Caribbean island. An air and sea search was carried out but he has still not been discovered.
Richard’s mother, Bicknell, said from her home in Hampshire, “It’s so much coincidence(意外). Richard always carried a photograph of his father attached to a poem, which included the date of his disappearance.”
“Now, it’s very strange because all they have found is Richard’s dinghy. We need to know this time what has happened one way or another. If you know at least you can go through the grieving process(悲痛的过程).”
In November 1996, Mr. Smith’s father, Charlie, was sailing in the Tasmen sea between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmen with his new wife. They lost radio contact with the shore and they, together with their yacht were never seen again, and their disappearance remains a mystery.
Richard is described as a talented and experienced sailor. He had sailed to the Caribbean in November to help a yacht race for entertainment. He ended the evening drinking in the Abracbabra bar but left after local police closed it for being too noisy.
About 2 am the following day Richard headed back for his dinghy. He started its motor before giving an elderly woman a lift to her yacht after her dinghy had gone missing. It was the last time he was seen.
65. Richard Smith was ____ in 2000.
A. ten B. fifteen C. twenty D. eighteen
66. People searched for Richard using ____ .
A.ship only | B.ship and radio | C.ship and plane | D.yacht and car |
67. According to the passage,we know Richard died because ____ .
A.he was a green hand in sailing |
B.some unknown animal attacked him |
C.there was a fog in the area he was sailing |
D.of something we don’t know |
68. Which statement is NOT true according to this passage?
A.Old Mr. Smith had lost radio contact with the shore before he died. |
B.Richard’s father had married two women at least. |
C.Richard didn’t drink on the evening before he was lost because the policeman closed the bar. |
D.Richard was seen at about 2 am the day he disappeared. |
I am trying to muster (鼓起) the courage to toss away my mobile phone to enjoy a more peaceful and ringfree life.
Can you imagine not having your mobile phone? In our hightech, inahurry age, a cellfree life is a hard concept to swallow. Our mobile phones can now access the Internet, and many people feel the need to express their every thought on their blog pages. If I gave up my cellphone, people would think I was mad.
I wish I had the strength to toss away my technology. I have an office phone, a home phone,an email and if people want to contact me, they can. If I’m out,people can leave a message. Do they really need to find me 24/7?However, I’m a bit like Frodo in the movie Lord of the Rings. The power of the ring is too strong and I can’t let it go.
Mobile phones have become necessary tools in our busy life. For most people, they hold all contacts and many of us don’t write up address books any more. The latest phones carry our music, pictures, movies and everything else. We feel lost without this device and when we do misplace it, we feel cut off from our fellow.
“Where have you been?” said a friend, who saw me a week after I lost my cellphone, “I tried calling you, but you disappeared. You disappeared off the face of the Earth.” See, when you don’t have a mobile phone, you don’t exist.
I’m not really going to toss my mobile phone away, in fact. We humans are such social animals and mobile phones serve us well. So in 2009, I’ve decided not to serve my mobile phone. Like all machines, I can always turn it off.
61. What does the underlined phrase “toss away” mean?
A.give away | B.get away | C.break away | D.throw away |
62. The writer mentions Frodo to________.
A.show it is difficult to get rid of the mobile phone |
B.show how much he likes Frodo |
C.suggest a cellfree life is what he wants |
D.introduce a film character to us |
63. What do we know about mobile phones in the 4th paragraph?
A.Mobile phones can do anything for us. |
B.Mobile phones have become very important in our life. |
C.We could not live without mobile phones. |
D.We would be cut off by our fellow without mobile phones. |
64. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.The writer is not really going to toss his mobile phone away. |
B.Whe![]() |
C.The writer decides not to serve his mobile phone. |
D.We humans can control ourselves and machines. |
What color do you like best? Do you like yellow, orange and red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, or an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer grey and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are likely to be strong-minded and determined. You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what psychologists (心理学家)tell us. They have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, and the effects that colors have on human beings. They tell us that we don’t choose our favorite color as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you do so as soon as you open your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
Black is depressing while light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one does, and a red dress adds warmth and cheer to sad winter days. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark grey.
Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a few colorful things. Also remember that you will know your friends (and your enemies) better when you find out what colors they like and dislike. And don’t forget that anyone can guess a lot about you when you choose a piece of handkerchief.
67. According to the passage, men’s 110-meter hurdles Olympic champion and world record holder Liu Xiang is most likely to love the color ______.
A.black | B.grey | C.green | D.brown |
68. Why are machines painted orange in some factories, according to the passage?
A.Because workers tend to prefer orange to other colors. |
B.Because other colors are forbidden in factories. |
C.Because less accidents happen due to the introduction of orange machines. |
D.Because orange machines are easier to clean. |
69. Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage?
A.It’s possible to cheer you up by enjoying some colorful pictures. |
B.You can know your friends better through the color they like or dislike. |
C.Some people are born with their colorful preference. |
D.One’s color preference is always changeable. |
70. The underlined word ‘depressing’ in Paragraph 2 probably means ‘______’.
A.discouraging | B.happy |
C.surprising | D.brave |
The market is a concept. If you are growing tomatoes in your backyard for sale you are producing for the market. You might sell some to your neighbor and some to the local manager of the supermarket. But in either case, you are producing for the market. Your efforts are being directed by the market. If people stop buying tomatoes, you will stop producing them.
If you take care of a sick person to earn money, you are producing for the market. If your father is a steel worker or a truck driver or a doctor or a grocer, he is producing goods or service for the market.
When you spend your income, you are buying things from the market. You may spend money in stores, supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants. Still you are buying from the market. When the local grocer hires you to drive the delivery truck, he is buying your labor in the labor market.
The market may be something abstract. But for each person or business who is making and selling something, it is very concrete(具体的). If nobody buys your tomatoes, it won’t be long before you get the message. The market is telling you something. It is telling you that you are using energies and resources in doing something the market doesn’t want you to do.
63.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A.Selling and Buying. |
B.Everything you do is producing for the market. |
C.What the market can do for you |
D.What is the market? |
64.All of the following acts are producing for the market except.
A.attending a night school |
B.working in a bank |
C.printing a book |
D.growing beans for sale |
65.You are buying from the market when you.
A.borrow a book from the library |
B.drive to the seaside for a holiday |
C.look after your children |
D.eat at restaurants |
66.In what way is the market very concrete for each person or business who is making and selling something?
A.It helps you save money |
B.It provides you with everything you need |
C.It tells you how to grow tomatoes |
D.It tells you what to produce |
A letter to Edward,a columnist
Dear Mr. Expert,
I grew up in an unhappy and abusive(虐待) home. I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I've achieved.
Here’s the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine—so much so that they make mine theirs.
It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.
I enjoy having my friends here sometimes—it makes the place feel comfortable and warm—but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?
Joan
Edward’s reply to Joan
Dear Joan,
If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.
And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict(冲突)you grew up with—or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time.
Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, “I really love your company(陪伴) but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over. ”
Edward
59. We can learn from the first letter that Joan ___________.
A.takes pride in her friends |
B.lives away from her parents |
C.knows Mr. Expert quite well |
D.hates her parents very much |
60. We can infer from the first letter that __________.
A.Joan thinks her friends more important than her privacy |
B.Joan doesn’t like the parties at all |
C.Joan’s friends visit her more often than expected |
D.Joan dislikes the boyfriends her friends bring over |
61. In Mr. Expert’s opinion, the reason why Joan can’t tell her friends her feelings is that _________.
A.she is afraid of hurting her friends |
B.she does not understand true friendship |
C.her family experience stops her from doing so |
D.she does not put her needs first |
62. The second letter suggests that Mr. Expert __________.
A.is concerned about Joan’s problem |
B.warns Joan not to quarrel with her friends |
C.encourages Joan to be brave enough |
D.advises Joan on how to refuse people |