The day I became a mom was not the day my daughter was born, but seven years later. Up until that day, I had been too busy trying to survive my abusive(辱骂的) marriage. I had spent all my energy trying to run a "perfect" home that would pass inspection each evening, and I didn't see that my baby girl had become a toddler. I'd tried endlessly to please someone who could never be pleased and suddenly realized that the years had slipped by and could never return.
Oh, I had done the normal "motherly" things, like making sure my daughter got to ballet and gym lessons. I went to all of her recitals and school concerts, parent-teacher conferences and open houses alone. We suffered from my husband's rages(暴怒) when something was spilled(溢出) at the dinner table, telling her, "It will be okay, Honey. Daddy's not really mad at you." I did all I could to protect her from hearing the awful shouting and complaints after he returned from a night of drinking. Finally I did the best thing I could do for my daughter and myself: I removed us from the home that wasn't really a home at all.
That day I became a mom was the day when my daughter and I were sitting in our new home having a calm, quiet dinner just as I had always wanted for her. We were talking about what she had done in school and suddenly her little hand knocked over the full glass of chocolate milk by her plate. As I watched the white tablecloth and freshly painted white wall become dark brown, I looked at her small face. It was filled with fear, knowing what the consequence of the event would have meant only a week before in her father's presence. When I saw that look on her face and looked at the chocolate milk running down the wall, I simply started laughing. I am sure she thought I was crazy, but then she must have realized that I was thinking, "It's a good thing your father isn't here!" She started laughing with me, and we laughed until we cried. They were tears of joy and peace and were the first of many tears that we cried together. That was the day we knew that we were going to be okay.
Whenever either of us spills something, even now, seventeen years later, she says, "Remember the day I spilled the chocolate milk? I knew you had done the right thing for us." That was the day I really became a mom. I discovered that being a mom isn't only going to ballet or gym, recitals, and attending every school concert and open house. It isn't keeping a tidy house and preparing perfect meals. It certainly isn't pretending things are normal when they are not. For me, being a mom started when I could laugh over spilled milk.
---- By Linda Jones from “Chicken Soup for Soul”What does the underlined part "the right thing" refer to?
| A．Becoming a single mother. |
| B．Divorcing with her abusive husband. |
| C．Doing all the motherly things well and running the family. |
| D．Not blaming on her daughter’s spilling the chocolate milk. |
Which statement is NOT true?．
| A．The author had suffered from an unfortunate marriage for a long time. |
| B．All the things the author did were to protect her daughter |
| C．The author hadn’t been a mother until she removed from her marriage. |
| D．Both the author and her daughter were frightened at the husband and father. |
Why did the author and her daughter laugh and then cry?
| A．Because it was a thorough relief after they had suffered too much. |
| B．Because they were actually crazy. |
| C．Because they wouldn’t see the abusive man any more. |
| D．Because spilling the chocolate milk on the wall was really funny. |
What is the best title for this article?
| A．How To Be a Better Mon? | B．The Day I Became a Mom |
| C．A Thing Happened 17 Years Ago | D．Survive an Abusive Marriage |
If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck－lines are lowered or raised, and soon.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn’t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high－heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Does the constantly changing fashion of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanged styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide. The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the of clothing
___ .
| A．comfort | B．appearance | C．cost | D．suitability |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE？
| A．Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women. |
| B．The constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of character. |
| C．The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society. |
| D．New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women. |
By saying “the conclusions to be drawn are obvious”, the writer means that _____.
| A．women’s inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at |
| B．women are better able to put up with discomfort |
| C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers |
| D．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion |
| Book 1 Elixirwritten by Eric Walters Twelve-year-old Roth becomes a friend of Dr．Banting and his assistant, Mr．Best, who are in search of a cure for diabetes （糖尿病）．She finds herself torn between her sympathy for the animals being experimented on and her friendship with Banting and Best． |
| Book 2 George Washingtion Carverwritten by Elizabeth Macleod Meet the “Peanut（花生）Specialist”, George Washington Carver, the inventor and professor who made over 325 products out of peanuts．Through his agricultural research, he also greatly improved the lives of countless black farmers in the southern United States．See also Macleod’s Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius. |
| Book 3 The Inuit Thought of It: Amazing Arctic Innovations written by Alootook Ipellie & David MacDonald Explore more than 40 ideas necessary to Inuit survival．From ideas familiar to us today to inventive concepts that shaped their lives, celebrate the creativity of a remarkably intelligent people．Also see other books: The Chinese Thought of It by Tingxing Ye and A Native American Thought of It by Rocky Landon and David MacDonald． |
| Book 4 Made in Canada:101 Amazing Achievementswritten by Bev Spencer What things do we use daily that have a Canadian connection? Here are 101 common things that were invented in Canada or by a Canadian, including the Blackberry, alkaline（碱性）batteries and the Blue Box recycling program． |
| Book 5 Newton and the Time Machine written by Michael McGowan Ten-year-old boy Newton has invented a time machine to see dinosaurs up close．But it disappears on a test run with his two huge friends, King Herbert and Queen Certrude, in it! Can he save them before time runs out? |
Which of the following best describes Roth’s feeling in Book 1?
| A．Painful. | B．Curious. | C．Frightened. | D．Disappointed. |
In Book 5, King Herbert and Queen Gertrude are_______.
| A．the names of the time machine |
| B．Newton’s human friends |
| C．two dinosaurs |
| D．the inventors of the time machine |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Alkaline batteries were invented by Dr. Banting. |
| B．Book 3 introduces 40 inventive concepts. |
| C．Animals are mentioned in Book 1 and Book 5. |
| D．George Washington Carver was a black farmer in the US. |
The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world's supply of water. With 97% of the world's water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world's agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.
Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.
This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.
Saudi Arabia's attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves. Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．Ways to reduce the costs of building dams. |
| B．Steps to improving water use management. |
| C．Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages. |
| D．Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply. |
From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.
| A．much of the world's water is available for use |
| B．people in high rainfall countries feel lucky |
| C．the costs of water redistribution should be considered |
| D．water can be easily carried through pipes across the world |
The text is mainly about________.
| A．water supply and increasing population |
| B．water shortages and environmental protection |
| C．water redistribution and wildlife protection |
| D．water use management and agriculture |
Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones2,3 and 4 of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town center as much of central London is commercial and not residential（居住的）.Zones3 and 4often offer larger accommodation in a less crowed area. It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground.
Meal Plans Available
♢Continental Breakfast
♢Breakfast and Dinner
♢Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast.Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal (谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practice English at home quite as much. What can be inferred from Paragraph3?
| A．Zone 4 is more crowded than Zone 2. |
| B．Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre. |
| C．The business centre of London is in Zone1. |
| D．Accommodation in the city center is not provided. |
According to the passage, what does Continental Breakfast include?
| A．Dessert and coffee. |
| B．Bread and fruit juice. |
| C．Fruit and vegetables. |
| D．Centre and cold meat. |
Why do some people choose self-catering accommodation?
| A．To experience a warmer family atmosphere. |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English. |
| C．To enjoy much more freedom. |
| D．To entertain friends as they like. |
When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices（装置）tell the time—which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
But while the wise have realized that they don’t need them, others—apparently including some distinguished men of our time—are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £250.000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions—but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as“investments”(投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £350, 000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from £15, 000 to £30, 000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It's a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up—they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that £350, 000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.It seems ridiculous to the writer that_______________.
| A．people dive 300 metres into the sea |
| B．expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones |
| C．cheap cars don’t run as fast as expensive ones |
| D．expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell |
What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?
| A．It’s hard for the industry to beat its competitors. |
| B．It targets rich people as its potential customers. |
| C．It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising. |
| D．It’s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches. |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Watches? Not for Me! |
| B．My Childhood Timex |
| C．Timex or Rolex? |
| D．Watches—a Valuable Collection |