Sharing cars to work is not unusual．But what about sharing time to raise children together? In Ningbo city of Zhejiang province in East China, young mothers in the same neighborhood pool their children together, and share the responsibility of being parents．
Spending every day together, but not families – in this coastal city of East China, three mothers are trying a new way of raising their kids, by pooling them together. Among the mothers are both office workers and housewives.They say they do so not just because of the tight schedule．
Jiujiu's mother said, "By kids pooling, we mean to create an opportunity for the kids to spend time together so that we can observe our kids, learn more about them．And then we can discuss how to better bring them up．"
The three families have been doing so for two years, in school days and holidays．Their children have grown used to each other's company,
Chichi's mother said, "My son was a bit shy．We've been talking him to be more active, but he hardly changed．After joining the kids pool, suddenly we found him willing to communicate with others now．When we are not there, he has to rely on himself to get along with his pals．"
Generally, mothers speak highly about the pooling．The mothers describe the pooling as bringing the running water into a closed pond．It opens a window to a different world for both kids and parents．But there are moments when opinions differ．Xiaoxiao's mother said, "Sex education for example．Kids will be curious about it when they reach a certain age．Personally I want to talk with my child about it, frankly and sincerely．But the other two moms think it better not to bring it up．" Xiaoxiao's mother says her solution is to share some parenting guidebooks with other mothers and let them make the decision．
The headmaster of the kindergarten believes such pooling activities test not only children, but also the parents．Jin Hongqing, kindergarten headmaster said, "Parents need to be tolerant and patient．They shouldn't play the blame game when kids fight with each other．It's better to let the kids solve the issue by themselves．What they can do as parents is to communicate．"All the following aspects are the benefits of kids pooling EXCEPT________.
| A．It saves time and helps relieve mother’s burden. |
| B．It allows parents to learn more about kids. |
| C．It allows kids to learn to share and be independent. |
| D．It offers better education than the kindergartens. |
Why is sex education mentioned in the passage?
| A．To show sometimes mothers have different opinions. |
| B．To suggest children are sometimes curious about it. |
| C．To explain sex education is not suitable for children. |
| D．To indicate mothers think highly of kids pooling. |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards kids pooling?
| A．Favorable. | B．Negative. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．Kids pooling. | B．Chinese parenting. |
| C．Sharing children. | D．Sharing cars. |
Starting the day on an egg could keep your blood pressure(血压) under control, research suggests．Scientists have shown that eggs produce proteins with a function similar to that of powerful blood pressure-lowering drugs．
The research, from the University of Alberta in Canada, showed that when eggs come in contact with stomach enzymes(酶) they produce a protein that acts in the same way as Ace inhibitors, but more work is needed to show the effects outside a lab and in the human body．
Earlier this month, British researchers declared that, contrary to popular beliefs, it is healthy to go to work on an egg．They concluded that the type of cholesterol (胆固醇) found in eggs has little effect on increasing heart disease risks．
Researcher Professor Bruce Griffin, from the University of Surrey, said:“The wrong beliefs linking egg eating to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected ．The amount of fat in our diet has an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of cholesterol found in eggs．The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat．They can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature’s most nutritious foods．”
The British Heart Foundation dropped its three-egg-a-week limit in 2005．However, almost half of Britons believe the limit still applies．From the text we know that Ace inhibitors are ．
| A．a kind of medicine | B．a kind of protein |
| C．a kind of illness | D．a kind of food |
According to what Professor Brcue said, eggs ．
| A．are the most nutritious food． |
| B．have no effect on blood cholesterol |
| C．can be included in a healthy diet |
| D．are forbidden to be eaten in the UK |
We can infer from the text that ．
| A．drugs to lower blood pressure will be replaced by eating eggs |
| B．stomach enzymes mixed with eggs can cure heart diseases |
| C．most Britons agree the three-egg-a-week limit should be dropped |
| D．about 50% of Britons think eating an egg a day is bad for their health |
The text is meant ．
| A．to introduce scientific findings about eggs |
| B．to introduce a medicine made from eggs |
| C．to tell people how to lower their blood pressure |
D．to advise people to eat as ma ny eggs as possible |
When important events are happening around the world, most people turn to traditional media sources, such as CNN and BBC for the news．However, during the war in Iraq in 2003, many people followed the war from the point of view of an unknown Iraqi citizen who called himself “Salam Pax ” ．(Salam Pax means peace)
Salam Pax wrote a diary about everyday life in Baghdad during the war, and posted it on his website．Pax’s online diary was a kind of website known as a “blog”．Blogs are online diaries, usually kept by individuals, but sometimes by companies and other groups of people．They are the fastest growing types of website on the Internet．
A blog differs from a traditional website in several ways．Most importantly, it is updated much more regularly．Many blogs are updated every day, and some are updated several times a day．Also, most blogs use special software or websites, which can help ordinary people easily set up and start writing their own blogs．
There are many different kinds of blogs．The most popular type is an online diary of links where the blog writer surfs the Internet and then posts links to sites or news articles that they find interesting , with a few comments about each one ．Other types are personal diaries, where the writer talks about their life and feelings．Sometimes these blogs can be very personal．
There is another kind of blogging, called “moblogging ”, short for “ mobile blogging ”．
Mobloggers use mobile phones with cameras to take photos, which are posted instantly to the Internet．The use of mobile phones in this way made the headlines in Singapore when a high school student posted a movie he had taken of a teacher shouting at another student on the Internet．Many people were shocked by what the student did, and wanted phones with cameras to be banned from schools．
Many people think that as blogs become common, news reporting will rely less on big media companies, and more on ordinary people posting news to the Internet．They think that then the news will be less like a lecture, and more like a conversation, where any one can join in．Which statement about Salam Pax was true?
| A．He worked for CNN． |
| B．Salam Pax was not his real name |
| C．He was famous as a host in BBC |
D．He used a mobile phone  for his blog |
What is the biggest difference between blogs and traditional websites?
| A．Blogs are updated much more often | B．Blogs contain links to other websites |
| C．Blogs use special software | D．Blogs contain personal information |
According to the passage, which statement ab
out the future is most likely ? In the future …
| A．everyone will have a blog |
| B．large media companies will be unnecessary |
| C．people will be able to learn the news from other points of view |
| D．blogging technology will be banned |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．the history of the Internet | B．new types of media |
| C．the war in Iraq | D．the increase of using computers |
More teachers are starting off the school year with letters to parents and students to introduce themselves and set a tone (基调) for the year．The letters are a good way to start positive communication with parents, several teachers told Education World．
“I think it’s professional (专业的)，”said Dorothy Peselli, an English teacher at Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersay, Peselli, who gives out the letters the first day of school, told Education World．“It gives parents an image of you as a professional．If you start communication off in a positive manner, you will have the parents on your side when you need them．”
In her letter to parents, Peselli encourages them to call or e-mail her with specific concerns about their children．“I want to work as a team to make sure that your child becomes an independent lifelong learner,” Peselli wrote to parents last September．She also telephones the parents of all
her students at the beginning of the year．
Peselli includes with the letter a classroom handbook (手册)listing plans and rules ．And she requires that both parents and students read and sign statements (included in the letter!) that they read the handbook．The student letter also lists needed supplies and gives encouragement．“Please come to class ready to work and learn．This will be an exciting year for all of us,” it says
Last year, Peselli taught at a different high school and parents there were “shocked”, but appreciative, that she had so much contact with them,“I received roses and a thank-you note from one boy and his mother”．Peselli said．She wished her own children’s teachers would take the time to write notes as well．“I never got a letter home from any of my daughter’s high school teachers．” she said, “It would be nice to know the background of some of the people who are teaching my daughter．”We may learn from the text that
| A．most teachers are writing letters to parents and students |
| B．the handbook is used to list supplies and give encouragement |
| C．Peselli believe it important for teachers to exchange information with parents |
| D．Peselli mainly introduces her background and teaching experiences in the letters |
The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to
| A．the handbook | B．the requirement |
| C．the school | D．the letter |
We can infer from the last paragraph that
| A．parents were satisfied with Peselli’s way of working |
| B．Peselli means to surprise parents by writing students |
| C．Peselli seemed to be popular among boy students |
| D．all Peselli’s children are studying in high schools |
The purpose of the text is to．
| A．introduce an English teaching method |
| B．give advice on how to teach students |
| C．encourage teachers to keep in touch with parents |
| D．show us how Dorothy Peselli makes teaching plans |
During my high school years, the most important thing was what I was wearing to the Friday night dance and who I was taking．Although college was talked about, it was the least of my worries．
When I was graduating eighth grade and starting high school, my elder brother was graduating twelfth grade and going onto college．For my graduation, he gave me a card in which he wrote, “Enjoy your four years…they go by fast．” I remember not believing him then, but looking back…he was right．Those four years shaped who I was as a person, pushed me to my limit and encouraged me to become an adult．
However, I was so completely absorbed in my junior and senior years of high school, that when someone spoke of college I brushed it off．I wasn't ready to leave my comfort zone of having all of my closest friends together and knowing what every single day was going to be like．Studying was something I did only AFTER I nailed my half-time dance performance．I knew my parents wanted me to go to college, so I told them I would go to community college (社区学院) and I didn’t worry about my SAT（美国大学入学考试）scores．
When my senior year passed and everyone graduated and went off to their own college, I started to wish I had done the same．My friends were living away, meeting new people, discovering new places, and I was living at home and driving to and from class every day．It seemed exactly like high school．I hated it! I thought college was supposed to be different! Why didn’t I take more time to research colleges and do the same? I ended up loving college and wishing I had four years to enjoy the campus atmosphere instead of two．
My advice to anyone thinking about attending college is to think about it very seriously and look into all of your choices well ahead of time．Now I have graduate and I am working full time and I would do anything to 
go back to my high school days for a second chance!Why didn’t the author worry about his SAT scores?
| A．He wanted to go to community college． |
| B．He had been admitted for his gift in dance． |
| C．He was well prepared for the exam． |
D．He b elieved his brother would help him． |
When in high school, the author
| A．drove to and from class every day． |
| B．buried himself in his study all the time． |
| C．enjoyed talking about future college life． |
| D．lived in the school except on holidays． |
What did the author’s brother mean by “Enjoy your four years…they go by fast”?
| A．He wished the author to have more dance． |
| B．He advised the author to value the years． |
| C．He encouraged the author to leave his comfort zone． |
| D．He suggested the author aim at a community college． |
Talking of his high school years, the author feels．
| A．regretful | B．lonely | C．angry | D．pleased |
E
There are two basic ways to see growth: one as a product, the other as a process．People have generally viewed personal growth as an external（外在的）result or a product that can easily be identified and measured．The worker who gets a rise, the student whose grades improve, the foreigner who learns a new language—all these examples of people who have measurable results to show for their efforts．
By contrast（对照）, the process of personal growth is much more difficult to determine, since it is a journey and not the specific signpost or landmarks along the way．The process is not the road itself, but the attitudes, feelings people have, and their caution or courage, as they meet with new experiences and unexpected difficulties．In this process, the journey never really ends, there are always new ways to experience the world, new ideas to try, new challenges to accept．
In order to grow, to travel new roads, people need to have a willingness to take risks, to face the unknown, and to accept the possibility that they may“fail”at first．How we see ourselves as we try a new way of being is necessary for our ability to grow．Do we see ourselves as quick and curious? If so, we tend to take more chances and be more open to unfamiliar experiences．Do we think we’re shy and indecisive? Then our sense of fear can cause us to hesitate, to move slowy, and we think we are slow to adapt（适应）changes or that we’re not smart enough to deal with a new challenge．Then we are likely to take a more passive role or not try at all．
These feelings of insecurity（不安全）and self-doubt are both unavoidable and necessary if we are to change and grow．If we protect ourselves too much, then we stop growing．We become trapped inside a shell of our own making．
56．In the author’s eyes, one who views personal growth as a process would________．
A．succeed in climbing up the social ladder
B．grow up from his own achievement
C．face difficulties and take up challenges
D．aim high and reach his goal each 
time
57．Which of the following can be viewed as the process of personal growing?
A．Our manager was always willing to accept new challenges．
B．Jane won the first prize in the speech competition．
C．Jeny picked up French during his stay in Paris．
D．Father’s salary rose from 5,000 to 7,000．
58．For Personal growth, the author is in favor of all the following EXCEPT ________．
A．being curious about more changes
B．being quick in self-adapation
C．having an open mind to new experiences
D．staying away from failures and challenges
59．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．It is not so easy to measure personal growth．
B．To try and fail on the new road facing the unknown is unavoidable．
C．There are only two ways to see a person’s growth．
D．If you are too shy to take any risks in life, you cannot grow
60．The best title for this passase should be_____________．
A．Facing New Challenges B．Growth—Product or Process
C．Two Basic Ways of Growth D．Overcoming Internal Fears