There’s nothing like having a child to remind you that you are no longer the center of your own universe. But every now and then, I need to relax with some“me”time.
I booked an overnight trip to Dover, Delaware. We arrived in Delaware right after sunset. Mom and I settled into our hotel room and went downstairs to the restaurant, and then I ordered myself a drink. I had just taken two sips when my husband called me.
“I’m so sorry to bother you,”Craig said.“The baby is burning up and we are on the way to the hospital.”I didn’t know how to reply. I was so desperate to get away to take a break. My baby was sick but I couldn’t do a thing for him. The situation made me feel so helpless.“I don’t know what to do,”I told him.“I’m five hours from home!”“I know,”my husband said.“You can’t help that. I’ll call you when I know what’s wrong.”My husband and my father took the baby to the emergency room. Meanwhile, I searched the restaurant for my mom. Once I found her, we went to our hotel room and waited for a phone call.
Over an hour later, Craig called to tell me that the baby had bronchitis(支气管炎). He seemed to be feeling better. The next morning, when I returned home, the baby was already back to his happy self.
Ever since this incident, I have really struggled with the concept of“me”time. I try to figure out why I need a break from the child who I love very much. However, sometimes I need to feel like a person and not just a mommy machine. In recent months, I have taken some“me”time. My mom helped keep the baby so I could go shopping, take a nap, and clean my house. On a couple of occasions, Craig and I went to dinner with friends. And this summer, I even managed to read an entire novel while the baby rested.
Now I’ve decided not to leave the baby overnight again or travel a long distance without him. I remember when I first announced my pregnancy(怀孕), a friend told me there was no ‘me’ in mommy. Maybe there’s not. But for me, I’m taking“me”time when I can.After the author answered the first phone call, she .
| A．took a taxi to the hospital |
| B．didn’t want to go home |
| C．was too concerned to have dinner |
| D．telephoned her father immediately |
The author’s husband called her again to .
| A．tell her to look after his mother |
| B．inform her of the baby’s condition |
| C．advise her to buy some medicine |
| D．complain about their child’s bad behavior |
For the author, “me”time mainly refers to the time when she needn’t .
| A．focus on taking care of her baby |
| B．read interesting stories to her baby |
| C．travel a long distance with her baby |
| D．spend time doing housework by herself |
What’s the author’s attitude towards her friend’s words?
| A．Interested. | B．Satisfied. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Doubtful. |
Winners Club
You choose to be a winner!
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers．It has been made to help you better manage your money．The Winners Club is a transaction account where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24／7---that’s 24 hours a day，7 days a week!
It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers：
●No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees．In fact，there are no account keeping or transaction fees!
●Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow．The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits without taking them out in a month．
●Convenient
Teenagers are busy—we get that．You may never need to come to a bank at all．With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet…You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account．This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
●Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report，you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money．There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members．
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers．And it is so easy to join．Simply fill in an application form．You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (so we can organize that cool key-card) but it is easy．We can’t wait to hear from you．It’s the best way to choose to be a winner !Which of the following is TRUE about the Winners Club?
| A．Special gifts are ready for parents． |
| B．The bank opens only on work days． |
| C．Services are convenient for its members． |
| D．Fees are necessary for the account keeping． |
The Winners Club provides magazines which___________．
| A．encourage spending |
| B．are free to all teenagers |
| C．are full of adventure stories |
| D．help to make more of your money |
If you want to be a member of the Club，you must_________．
| A．be an Internet user | B．be permitted by your parent |
| C．have a big sum of money | D．be in your twenties |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To set up a club． | B．To provide part-time jobs． |
| C．To organize key-cards． | D．To introduce a new banking service． |
Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth. There are hundreds of kinds of sharks. Most are about two meters long. The dogfish shark, however, is less than twenty centimeters in length. A shark has an extremely good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of matters in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. These powerful senses help sharks find their food. Sharks eat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.
Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs. The others give birth to live young. Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old. Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal.
Sharks are important for the world’s oceans. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too large. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.
People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable. Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the jaws of a shark. Shark liver oil is a popular source of Vitamin A. The skin of a shark can be used like leather.
In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth, but some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth. If too many sharks in one area are killed, that group of sharks may never return to normal population levels.Which of the following words best describes the situation sharks are in?
| A．Good. | B．Expensive. | C．Powerful. | D．Endangered. |
Sharks eat other fish, __________.
| A．which is a threat to all other forms of life in the oceans |
| B．which is a protection for plants and other forms of life in the oceans |
| C．which helps prevent diseases from spreading |
| D．which helps the number of other fish to grow |
According to the passage, many parts of a shark are valuable EXCEPT ________.
| A．its jaws | B．its liver | C．shark fins | D．shark teeth |
The author thinks that______.
| A．sharks are valuable to us and we can make full use of them |
| B．oceans will become safer with fewer sharks swimming around |
| C．measures should be taken to protect sharks |
| D．the shark population is increasing slowly |
Lao Yang was born in a small town. He liked reading when he studied at school. He thought the writers were respected and could get a lot of money. He wrote a lot of stories and posted them to the editorial departments but didn't receive any answers.
Now he works in a factory. He's busy at work. When he's free, he always reads something. He always remembers he hoped to be a writer when he was young. One day, Xiao Ping, his ten-year-old daughter, came back. She looked worried and didn't eat anything. She said Miss GAO, her Chinese teacher, told them to write a solicit article "My Father" that evening. But she did not know what to write.
"That's easy," said Lao Yang. "Let me help you."
Then he sat down to write the solicit article at once. He easily finished it on time. He was sure Miss GAO would like it. But one afternoon he asked his daughter if the article had been chosen to post to the editorial department.
"My teacher said your article digressed from the subject," said the girl.
"I don't think so," Lao Yang shouted angrily. "I described just my father!"Lao Yang wrote a lot of stories because _______.
| A．he likes reading | B．he learned much at school |
| C．he wanted to be a writer | D．he wanted to help others |
Lao Yang posted the stories to the editorial departments, _______.
| A．and he got a lot of money | B．and he became a famous man |
| C．and he was respected | D．but he failed |
As _______, Lao Yang decided to help his daughter.
| A．he was a writer | B．he was free |
| C．he wanted to realize his ideal | D．he wanted to make his daughter happy |
Lao Yang hoped _______.
| A．his article could surprise the teacher |
| B．his article could be chosen |
| C．the children could like his article |
| D．everyone could soon know him |
A Frenchman went to a small Italian town and was staying with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he felt someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly out of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was gone. He thought that it must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided to follow him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. Neither of them understood the other's language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist and pointed at the Italian's watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman.
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife what had happened. He was greatly surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian's.One night he went out for _______ alone.
| A．a ride | B．a walk | C．a drink | D．rest |
Suddenly he found his_______ was gone.
| A．watch | B．money | C．book | D．ring |
The Italian gave up his watch to him at last because ________.
| A．he had stolen the watch from the Frenchman. |
| B．he understood what the Frenchman wanted |
| C．he had picked up the watch on his way from work |
| D．he was afraid of the Frenchman |
Who was robbed of the watch on earth?
| A．The Frenchman was. | B．The Italian was. |
| C．Both of them was. | D．Neither of them was. |
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his fortune(财富)，largely to the cause of global health，during the course of his lifetime.With an estimated(估计)worth of more than $40 billion，according to Forbes，the project will be no small fate(功绩) for Gates.Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues，Gates said that finally his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids”.
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest？Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity（机会）”in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations，he says，has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful.“National borders allow inequalities，”said Gates.“We all need to take a more global view，rather than just saying my country is doing well.We have to step up these health issues，knowing how few resources are going into them.”
Gates said that both his parents set up an example for him as a child.His father，William H．Gates，was the head of the local Planned Parenthood，and his mother，Mary，volunteered for the United Way.As he gathered his fortune，Gates knew he would finally want to give back as well，but he didn’t expect to devote himself wholeheartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However，Gates,47，began to question his ability to wait that long.“It seemed there was a real time urgency，”Gates said.“I started to think how many lives I could save before then.”Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to .
| A．improve the health of population all over the world |
| B．improve the health of population in America alone |
| C．avoid leaving his children too much money |
| D．spare the American government the burden of health care |
Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is .
| A．to set up more foundations for them |
| B．to help them with natural resources |
| C．to put more efforts into the health issues in them |
| D．to help them take a more global view |
It can be learned from the passage that Bill Gates thinks .
| A．Americans can be worldfamous by giving away vast fortune |
| B．Americans should treat fellow citizens well |
| C．Americans should devote themselves to certain projects |
| D．Americans should care about people in other countries |