Over time, the custom of kissing developed as a way for adults to express their love and affection for one another. The roots of this form of affection can be traced back to primitive times, when mothers fondled their children, much as mothers do today.
Much later, in the sixth century, society apparently accepted the custom of kissing between adults as an expression of their affection. Not surprisingly, France first accepted kissing in courtship (求爱). There, figure dancing was popular, and each dance was sealed with a kiss.
The custom of kissing swept from France through Europe to Russia, where Russian nobility loved to imitate the French. Eventually, the kiss was incorporated into marriage ceremonies, and today lip locks couples into sweet matrimony.
The custom of kissing today, as well as in ancient times, serves to pay homage to another. Early Romans kissed each other on the mouth or on the eyes to greet one another in a manner they thought to be dignified. One Roman emperor even ranked a person's importance by the body part he was allowed to kiss. He allowed important nobles to kiss his lips, less important ones to kiss his hands, and the least important ones to kiss his feet.
In Russia, the highest sign of recognition from the Crown meant a kiss from the Tsar himself. Today, natives of many African tribes pay homage to their Chief by kissing the ground over which he has walked.What’s mainly talked about in the passage?
| A．The way to express love and respect. | B．The expression of affection. |
| C．The custom of kissing. | D．The function of kissing. |
Which of the following can best explain the underlined word “homage” in the 4th paragraph？
| A．recognition | B．respect | C．importance | D．loyalty |
It can be learned from the passage that ___________.
| A．kissing is a widely accepted way to show love and affection |
| B．kissing used to be a proper way to show love on the wedding ceremony |
| C．kissing is a widely accepted way of greeting in the world |
| D．kissing from the Tsar is only sign of being accepted from the Crown |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It was France that made the custom of kissing go to the whole world. |
| B．Early Africans kissed each other on the mouth or on the eyes to greet one another. |
| C．One Roman emperor allowed important nobles to kiss his nose. |
| D．Russian nobility followed the custom of kissing from the French. |
We can infer from the passage that __________.
| A．mothers created the custom of kissing |
| B．kissing means differently on different occasions |
| C．figure dancing was usually sealed with a kiss in Russia |
| D．society found it hard to accept kissing in public in the sixth century |
Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure？Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four-hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train, there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation—in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two-day trip by train. She said her two daughters were worried at the thought of driving for three days to reach her home, although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life, different countries, and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and learn all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry, you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom, there is always one for you.
It surely beats driving the car, which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.According to the passage, the purpose of the author’s train ride was ______.
| A．to do business | B．to see her children |
| C．to visit places of interest | D．to see her old friends |
In the author’s opinion, on the train Amtrak ______.
| A．the services are quite good | B．the food is terribly expensive |
| C．all the passengers are polite | D．all the passengers are American |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．A painful experience on the train | B．A wonderful lady |
| C．Train ride—a cultural experience | D．The history of Amtrak |
Because of the change in the American public school system over the last several years, now many parents choose to home-school their children. There are many reasons behind this. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
For some parents, they have religious (宗教的) reasons for home-schooling. The public school system does not have religious teachings, so these parents want to put religion into the children’s daily school activities. This might include teaching religion-based courses rather than coursework that is taught in public schools.
For some parents, they do not feel that their local school system offers their children the best learning opportunities. So they want to take matters into their own hands. This may be because the local school has low educational standards (标准) or for some other reason the parents think it necessary to take their children out of the system. Sometimes the parents just feel the children will get a better education at home.
Some parents may not be rich enough to send their children to a private school, so the next best thing in their eyes is home-schooling. Thus they can teach their children what they like.
One should remember that the laws about home-schooling vary from state to state. In some states, the parents are required to hand in monthly attendance records (出席记录) to their local school system. What’s more, most states require state testing at certain periods such as the CRCT.The writer wrote this passage mainly to _______.
| A．advise parents to home-school their children |
| B．explain why some parents choose to home-school their children |
| C．tell us the advantages and disadvantages of home-schooling |
| D．praise home-schooling and private schools |
Paragraph 3 tells us that some parents choose home-schooling because ______.
| A．school teachers are not strict with their children |
| B．their children don’t do well in their studies at school |
| C．their children don’t like going to school |
| D．they are not satisfied with the school education |
What does the underlined word “vary” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Increase | B．Change | C．Spread | D．Keep |
How many reasons for home-schooling are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2 | B．4 | C．3 | D．5 |
Babysitter(保姆) Wanted
I am seeking a babysitter for my 6-month-old son. A few hours on Saturdays and Sundays to help me and then other times as needed. He or she should be over 18, responsible, loving, warm, and have some experience in caring for babies. The pay is $10 an hour.
If this sounds like a good job to you, please reply torebecharv@aol.com or call 800-4964.
Office Manager Wanted
Our company is looking for a full-time experienced manager to run the business. Strong skills in organization and business management are required for this position. Also, he or she should be familiar with computers.
Please reply to jim@californiaaquatics.com or call 800-6978 to apply.
Waiter/ Waitress Wanted
A restaurant is looking for an experienced waiter / waitress. Knowledge of wines and experience in dining are necessary. Must work well under pressure and understand the basics of fine dining and customer service.
If you’re interested, please contact us at job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org to apply.
This is a part-time job.
Office Cleaner Wanted
Looking for a Part-time job? A position in the Mississauga area needs an office cleaner! Part-time 4 hours a day from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
Some experience is necessary. Pay: $15 per hour
Reply to: job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org. or call 800-8197.Which of the following position is a full-time job?
| A．Babysitter. | B．Office manager. |
| C．Waiter / waitress. | D．Office cleaner. |
If you want to apply for the job as a babysitter, you should send an email to ______.
| A．job-p3b7u-1365632206@craigslist.org |
| B．job-tkupe-1329358152@craigslist.org |
| C．jim@californiaaquatics.com |
| D．rebecharv@aol.com |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The office cleaner has to work three hours each day. |
| B．One can apply for a waiter or waitress by telephone. |
| C．Experience is necessary for all these four jobs. |
| D．A babysitter earns $5 more than an office cleaner per hour. |
Which of the following is necessary for a waiter / waitress?
| A．Being familiar with computers. | B．Having knowledge of wines. |
| C．Knowing more about menus. | D．Working well with others. |
I woke up late and had breakfast in a hurry. I had never been late and didn’t want my boss to be unsatisfied.
However, it seemed that the day wasn’t a lucky one for me from the very second I left my flat. The moment I wanted to rush downstairs, one of my stiletto heels (细高跟) broke. I had to return to change my red shoes. I also had to change my purse and other little things that I had tried to match with the shoes. I was sure I would be late for work.
On my way to work I had to wait for over half an hour because of an accident. I had no choice but to wait. I phoned my boss and he told me that it was no problem, but he needed me for the meeting with the Japanese clients (客户) that morning.
Finally, I arrived at the office one hour later. I had to keep calm and be fresh for the meeting to make the clients sure that our plan was the best for their future business project. However, I left the plan I had made the night before at home and was going to make a presentation (介绍) about it to the clients. I was about to get angry when I realized that I had a copy of it in my office.
At last, the meeting came to an end and it turned out to be successful. But I have to say that I had a terrible day, full of incidents.Which of the following is NOT the reason of the writer being late for her work?
| A．She got up late in the morning. |
| B．She changed her purse and other little things. |
| C．One of her shoe heels broke. |
| D．She had a traffic accident on the way to work. |
According to the passage, what could we learn about the writer?
| A．Her boss was very angry with her. |
| B．She often arrived at her office on time. |
| C．She left her plan on the bus. |
| D．She was nervous at the meeting. |
What did the clients think of the writer’s presentation?
| A．Dull. | B．Just so-so. | C．Excellent. | D．Terrible. |
Which old saying could be used to describe the writer’s incidents?
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．One trouble never comes alone. |
Nicole Delian, 17, suffers from a condition that makes her sleep up to 19 hours a day and as much as 64 days in a row． Nicole Delian is tired of sleeping．
This 17-year-old teenager from North Fayette, Pa．, has a rare condition called Kleine-Levin Syndrome -- or "Sleeping Beauty Syndrome" -- that makes her sleep 18 to 19 hours a day．
And when she does wake up, she is often so tired out that she is in a sleepwalking state and doesn't remember doing basic things like eating, according to KDKA-TV．
Nicole's sleepwalking state has been so severe that she once slept through the holidays, awaking one day in January when she finally opened Christmas gifts alongside her family, according to ChartiersValley．Patch．com．．
"She's never really adjusted to it," her mother, Vicki Delien told the website． "She's 17 now and it really upsets her． She's missed out on a lot．"
Delien told talk show host Jeff Probst that the teen has at times slept 32 to 64 days in a row, waking only in sleepwalking mode to eat．
Kleine-Levin Syndrome is incredibly rare, only affecting about l,000 people worldwide, and very hard to diagnose．
In Nicole's' case, it took 25 months for doctors to diagnose her, according to ChartiersValley．Patch．com, and everything from a virus, to epilepsy（癫痫） to West Nile was mentioned, including, unfortunately, the possibility she was faking it for attention．．
When a typical episode of Sleeping Beauty Syndrome begins, the patient becomes progressively drowsy（昏昏欲睡的） and sleeps for most of the day and night, waking only to eat or go to the bathroom, according to the Klein-Levin Syndrome Foundation website． "When awake, the patient's whole behavior is changed, often appearing “stupid" or childlike． When awake he experiences confusion, complete lack of energy, and lack of emotions．"
Patients also report that everything seems out of focus, and that they are hypersensitive to noise and light． Some patients also have intense food cravings（渴望）．
The Delians did not say whether Nicole has experienced these symptoms．
There is no known cure, but Nicole's family is using a combination of epilepsy and narcolepsy（发作性嗜睡病）medication to minimize the incidents to just two a year．What's the reflection of Nicole's sleepwalking state?
| A．Being forgetful． | B．Missing Christmas． |
| C．Sleeping around the clock． | D．Being exhausted and bad-tempered． |
According to the passage, Kleine-Levin Syndrome．
| A．is not impossible for doctors to diagnose |
| B．affects approximately l,000 people all round the country |
| C．is also known as Sleeping Beauty Syndrome which only affects females |
| D．makes those suffering this condition sleep as much as 64 days in a row without eating |
Frorn the passage we can infer that．
| A．the disease will change the patients' behavior for good |
| B．the case of Nicole has been covered several times by different media |
| C．the．patients of this kind are more and more sleepy when the syndrome begins |
| D．the patients of this kind become too sensitive to being exposed to any noise and light |
According to the passage, Nicole．
| A．was once suspected of lying about her condition |
| B．has a good appetite for food because of the disease |
| C．has adapted to the condition and can well cope with it |
| D．will be cured of the disease by using the combined medication |