D
I am one of seven children. My three sisters and I grew up in a small bedroom with two sets of beds. We shared a closet, a dresser, and just about everything else.
I had friends who were only children. I looked longingly at their perfect dolls and toys placed carefully on their perfect shelves in their perfect little girl bedrooms. They had bathrooms to themselves. These little girls would come home to everything just perfect.
Our bedroom always had stuff hanging about. There just wasn’t room to store the paraphernalia(随身物品) of four girls who had definite ideas about how they wanted their space to be. All of us girls shared a bathroom with our three brothers. From a very young age, I really thought I was hard up.
Looking back, I had to admit my “only children” friends had nice things. They had designer beds and beautiful bedrooms, but I always had someone to play with and talk to. Even if everyone else hated me, one of my sisters would not and that was all I needed.
My sisters and I made up games and went around the neighborhood begging for old dresses so we could put on plays in our garage. Our house was the centre of activity for the whole neighborhood. We had dance shows and baseball games in the street. In short, we had everything we ever needed because we had each other. I have come to realize that there are so many reasons that sisters make a difference to your life and I can give you a few here:
They get you. Your sisters have grown up with you so they know the entire back story of your situation and everything leading to it. They may not agree with you all the time but they never wonder why you do what you do or say what you say.
They have suffered with you through awful times. I know that when one of my sisters is unhappy, I am unhappy too. When some non-family member tries to hurt you, the claws of them will come out!
They have cheered you on. Sisters do get jealous at times but, even so, they are happy that you are doing well. They rejoice at your new bonus as long as you take them out for drinks and fattening appetizers!
They are on the same diet as you. We are women in a world where thinness is equated with beauty. No matter how unjust this is, we are always on a diet. There is nothing like a sister calling and complaining about how she wants an ice cream and can’t ever have one again.
They are aging at the same rate as you. As we get older, we change, and however miserable this can be, it is heartening(令人振奋的) to know that someone shares your misery. They know what you are going through because they are going through it too.
The last and best thing about sisters is that they stick with you. We can have our upsets and misunderstandings but we always come back to each other.
I know many people reading this may have had upsets with their sisters. All I can say is that communication fixes everything. If you miss your sister, tell her so. If you have a BFF(Best Friend Forever) that has stuck with you through thick and thin(不畏艰险地), adopt her as your sister and keep her close to you.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?
| A．Only children have a blessed life. |
| B．Only children have their own items and space. |
| C．All the things that only children have are perfect. |
| D．Only children are given more love and care at home. |
What is NOT a reason that sisters make a difference to your life?
| A．They grow old with you. |
| B．They are on the same diet with you. |
| C．They can understand your strange behavior perfectly. |
| D．They stand by you when other family members hurt you. |
The underlined word “rejoice” in Paragraph 8 means ?
| A．fell grateful | B．show great joy |
| C．appear surprised | D．get disappointed |
From the passage, we can learn that the author .
| A．has adopted her BBF as her sister |
| B．has expressed great sympathy for only children |
| C．had a better relationship with her brothers |
| D．has given some advice to those who had upsets with their sisters |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Sisters, my fortune in life |
| B．Family love, the lasting topic |
| C．Communication fixes everything |
| D．Sharing things gives you a better life |
Let’s Go Fly a Kite…
—at Piedmont Middle School’s celebration of kites!
Come and learn how to build all sorts of kites，from the simplest diamond-shaped kites to the most complex box kites．Stay as long as you like and build as many kites as you want．Once you have finished a kite，get advice on flying techniques from kite expert Lorena Hallsberg．The celebration will be at Piedmont Middle School，151 Piedmont School Drive．
The Piedmont Middle School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has organized a refreshment (茶点) tent．All profits will benefit future PTO activities．Take a break from kite flying and drink some lemonade! While you are doing so，why not join the PTO？ Membership is free; you just donate your time．Show your support for Piedmont Middle School by joining the PTO this Saturday!
When: Saturday，April 11，from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Piedmont Middle School
Why: For fun!
Cost: Free，thanks to a generous gift from Bizarco Kite Company!
Schedule
9:00 am — Kite-building booths open．All materials are supplied for kites．
10:00 am — Kite-building shows by Lorena Hallsberg in the courtyard．Come by and learn how to build box kites and kites that look and fly like butterflies．
11:00 am — Kite-flying shows on the school track．Learn all the most important skills．
12:00 pm — Kite-flying competitions on the school track．
1:00 pm — Presentation by Dr．Brian Lehrman in the show tent: “The History of Kites”．
2:00 pm — Best Kite competitions and judging in the show tent．Come see the most artistic kites and the most interesting theme kites．
3:00 pm — Presentation by Dr．Lehrman in the show tent: “Kites and Science”．
3:30 pm — Awards ceremony conducted by Headmaster Seward on the football field．The results of the day’s judging will be announced，with awards such as Best of Show，Most Artistic，Highest Flyer，and others．Winners will receive gifts from the Bizarco Kite Company!
4:00–5:00 pm — Let’s all go fly a kite! Everyone flies kites at the same time，creating a wonderful sight for all to enjoy．
Come to the kite celebration，enjoy yourself and learn more．The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to ask people to _______．
| A．build a kite |
| B．support the PTO |
| C．take a break |
| D．join the fun |
Which times are most important for people who want to join in kite competitions？
| A．10:00 am and 11:00 am． |
| B．12:00 pm and 2:00 pm． |
| C．1:00 pm and 3:00 pm． |
| D．2:00 pm and 4:00 pm． |
From the passage，we know that the kite celebration _______．
| A．is enjoyable and educational |
| B．is strict about the shapes of kites |
| C．gets money from PTO of Piedmont Middle School |
| D．gives people a chance to see kites from around the world |
The passage is intended for _______．
| A．school staff |
| B．kite experts |
| C．students and parents |
| D．kite companies |
Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child．Last spring one of the two，Australia，gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 2011．I wasn’t surprised when this didn’t make the news here in the United States—we’re now the only wealthy country without such a policy．
The United States does have one explicit family policy，the Family and Medical Leave Act，passed in 1993．It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem．Despite the modesty of the benefit，the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly，describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent（先例）．” In fact，every step of the way，as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law，business groups have been strongly opposed．
As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues，justifying parental support depends on defining（定义）the family as a social good that，in some sense，society must pay for．Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children．Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care．And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years，or longer if needed．What do we learn about paid family leave according to Paragraph 1？
| A．It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy． |
| B．Setting up this policy made Australia less influential． |
| C．It has now become a hot topic in the United States． |
| D．No such policy is applied in the United States． |
What makes it hard to take work-family balance measures in the States？
| A．The incompetence of the Democrats． |
| B．The opposition from business circles． |
| C．The lack of a precedent in American history． |
| D．The existing Family and Medical Leave Act． |
What is Professor Anne Alstott’s argument for parental support？
| A．Children need continuous care． |
| B．Good parenting benefits society． |
| C．The cost of raising children has been growing． |
| D．The U．S．should keep up with other developed countries． |
Why is the author against classifying parenting as a personal choice？
| A．Parenting is regarded as a moral duty． |
| B．Parenting relies largely on social support． |
| C．Parenting produces huge moral benefits． |
| D．Parenting is basically a social responsibility． |
The Loss of Innocence
Innocence is such a precious gift．It’s explained as freedom from guilt or wrong doing．Just imagine never having to worry about anything and having a guilt free mind．Some people wish to save this kind of innocence from being lost from childhood to adulthood．
What would the world be like if innocence were never lost？One way it would benefit humanity is the lack of hatred （仇恨）among the world．During youth，there may be an occasional argument，even a little physical fight，but nothing like firing a handgun at a fellow human being．And children are blind towards the racial differences of others．A kid will hang out with any other kid．It is the lack of innocence and the ignorance we learn from adults that influence children otherwise．Another benefit is the constant desire for fun and adventure．With very little if any time at all for fun，the adventurous mind is lost in time with the responsibilities placed upon adults．If innocence were kept alive，these ambitions would never depart from our lives．
However，other people actually hate the idea of innocence lasting forever．They feel that the lack of organization and mental power of those with innocence would cause extremely destructive consequences to society in general．A large number of individuals would never have the urge to learn，work，and act upon the necessary needs for humanity to survive．Without a proper education which is usually provided by those who no longer live in a world of innocence，people would not have the desire to succeed，get a good job in life，or provide income for their families，which would hurt the lives of children．
The lack of a good education and career would also harm the economy．As long as innocence is kept alive，no one would be terribly angered at the lack of effort people put out in the workplace，resulting in a strong decline in production and quality of needed goods．
Maybe it is wrong in wanting to save innocence．It sure is a nice thought，though．Perhaps innocence was meant to be lost．It was god’s will to make things the way they are，and there is a good purpose for everything．All that remains to be said about innocence is to enjoy it while it lasts．The author believes that the loss of innocence in adulthood should be _______．
| A．avoided |
| B．condemned |
| C．accepted |
| D．inspired |
Lifelong innocence would be beneficial to society in that _______．
| A．proper education would be provided |
| B．there would be no racial discrimination |
| C．more happy families would be guaranteed |
| D．people would realize their childhood dreams |
According to the author，people with innocence can hurt the economy with their lack of _____．
| A．motivational will |
| B．mental ability |
| C．adventurous ambitions |
| D．needed goods |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage？
Lights Out at Bedtime
There are plenty of good reasons to power up a personal desktop or laptop computer in the evening — writing e-mails，chatting on social networks or making purchases over the Internet，for instance．But various studies indicate that people who stare at a PC’s bright monitor shortly before going to bed probably sleep less soundly than they would otherwise because the light seriously affects their natural wake-sleep cycle．"They haven't proved it though，" says Dieter Kunz，the team's director at Charite's Psychiatric Clinic in St．Hedwig's Hospital in Berlin．
Similarly，exposure to just 10 minutes of normal bathroom lighting is enough to free the sleep hormone melatonin，which regulates people's natural wake-sleep cycle and makes them sleepy at nightfall．
Ten years ago，a team of British and American researchers detected a photo-pigment（光敏色素） in the human eye that signals to the body whether it is day or night，summer or winter．The photo-pigment is especially sensitive to blue light．
"The blue light more or less tells the body，'It's daytime，be awake，'" Kunz says．Monitors have a mostly cold white light content and scientists suspect the photo-pigment may react similarly to it．So the longer people look into the bright light，the more awake they become - and then sleep poorly．
A lot of people have difficulty "switching off" in the evening．About half of the women in Germany and a quarter of the men sleep poorly．
Environmental factors are only one of the possible causes．Job stress as well as personal and health concerns are also the main reasons for their sleep problems．
In addition，electronic objects' standby lights and indicator lamps can be annoying in the dark and affect sleep．"Sound scientific evidence is still lacking on this matter，" Kunz notes．
According to Kunz，those who cannot go without their computer in the evening should turn down the blue content if possible and lower the brightness somewhat．"But nobody does that because，after all，you want to concentrate while working at the computer and the light helps the brain．"The passage is mainly about ____________．
| A．natural wake-up cycles |
| B．the effect of light on sleep |
| C．personal and health concerns |
| D．functions of computer monitors |
The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to_____．
| A．normal bathroom lighting |
| B．10-minute exposure to lighting |
| C．the release process of a chemical |
| D．a chemical affecting one’s sleep cycle |
We can learn from the passage that ______．
| A．the blue light has a calming effect． |
| B．the photo-pigment tells people day or night |
| C．women in Germany use computers more often than men |
| D．it has been proved that standby lights affect people’s sleep |
I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention．Finally，the driver，a man about 60，looked up from behind the wheel and apologized，“I’m sorry，but I was reading a letter．” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough．
Since I was in no hurry，I told him to finish his letter．He shook his head，explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart．Curious，I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild．“This isn’t family，”he replied．“though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family．Old Ed and I grew up together．”
They were always friends．But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago，it’d generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them．A couple of weeks ago，Ed died．“I should have kept in touch．” He repeated this，more to himself than to me．To comfort him，I said sometimes we just didn’t seem to find the time．“But we used to find the time，” he said．“Take a look．” He handed the letter over to me．
The first sentence “I’ve been meaning to write for some time，but I’ve always delayed it．” reminded me of myself．It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together．When I read the part where it said “Your friendship really means a lot to me，more than I can say because I’m not good at saying things like that”，I found myself nodding in agreement．
We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph: “So I thought you’d like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”
“I thought your friend’s name was Ed,” I said.
“I’m Tom,” he explained. “It’s a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he’d died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
When I got to my hotel room I didn’t unpack right away．I had to write a letter and post it．Who wrote the letter？
| A．Tom |
| B．Old Ed． |
| C．The author． |
| D．The driver’s grandchild． |
It can be inferred from the passage that the driver regretted_____．
| A．missing Ed’s funeral |
| B．moving away from his neighborhood |
| C．forgetting to send Ed Christmas cards |
| D．not being able to keep in touch with Ed |
From Paragraph 4，we learn that the author _______．
| A．often fails to write to his friends |
| B．has no intention to write to his friends |
| C．had many great moments with his friends |
| D．was good at expressing his feelings to friends |
What message does the passage probably try to convey？
| A．Comfort your friends when they are feeling down． |
| B．Life is unpredictable so live each day as if it were your last． |
| C．Remember to always mail your letters after expressing your words． |
| D．Always make time to value and experience your lasting friendships． |