AgrowingnumberofAmericanhomesa-优题课

D
President Obama，s plan last week to overhaul(改善)former president George W．Bush’s
No Child left Behind program is an improvement on a good thin9．But it doesn’t go far enough.
Obama outlined a goal that by 2020，all grade school and high school students ale on a path toward college and career readiness．
However, what we need is a practical plan that not only requires all high school graduates to take at least two years of college but also makes it financially possible for them to do so. We’ve provided a free public education through the l2th grade．If we’re going to keep up—or catch up—with some other countries(1ike China)in preparing young people for careers，a 12-year education program no longer is enough．
About 3 million students across the USA will graduate from high school this spring. But only 2 million will go on to college, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics(NCFES)．For the more than l million who won’t go on，money is a major factor．If tuition(学费)were free，about half of them could make up other COSTS from family or part—time jobs．
Critics(批评家)of free college tuition will say we can’t afford it because of the federal deficit(联邦赤字)and other rising costs．Let’s see some government spending in detail：
In the last nearly 10 years．the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us $1 trillion(that’s $1，000 billion，or an average of$100 billion a year)．Federal money spent on public elementary and secondary education in the last year for which figures are available was$47 billion．If we end costly and unnecessary wars and nation—building efforts abroad，the federal government could provide more money on public education，for which state and local governments now carry most of the burden(负担)．
53．According to President Obama’s plan，in 10 years______________
A．there will be no expensive and unnecessary Wars
B．all grade and high school students can go to college
C．the U．S．will catch up with China in career preparation
D．students Call enjoy a l2-year public free education
54．If tuition were not charged．______________
A．about 2．5 million students could afford college education
B．about 2 million students could be provided chances of college education
C．over l million students still could not afford college education
D．about 3 million students could graduate from high school
55.The author may agree that President Obama’s plan__________
A．has little to do with Gorge W．Bush’s program
B. does not agree with the survey by NCFES
C．does not contain practical measures to achieve its goal
D．will lighten the burden of state and local governments
56．It can be inferred from the passage that_____________
A．the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are expensive but necessary
B．the federal Can not provide more money on education
C，critics of free college tuition think little of the plan
D．President Obama’s plan might be hard to carry out

C
Things similar continuously happened in Haiti and Chile．Thousands of people were
buried in the earthquake and lost their fives．What if we could have warned them? People are always trying hard to find a way of preventing building collapsing(坍塌)．Better materials and technology help，but are not a solution．Just like humans，a building has its own life circle from “birth” to “death”．If we know when a building is going to collapse，we can repair it in advance or get out before it falls．
Now, scientists at the University of Illinois ha、，e developed a material that turns red before it breaks．The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes，or bridge supports．The secret behind the color-changing material is a type of molecule(分子)．A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds(化学键)．Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle，holding hands．Each person stands for one atom，your hands represent the bonds，and the entire circle represents a molecule．If one person lets go of his or her hands，the molecule changes color．The research team put the molecule into a soft material．When the researchers stretched(拉长) the material：it turned bright red a few seconds before it broke into two pieces．
When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material，without breaking it，it only turned a little red．
The major problem is，light can get rid of the red color．When the team shone a bright light on the molecule，the broken bond was fixed，and the color disappeared．If bright fight keeps the red color from appearing，the material’s warning system will be useless．Scientists still have a lot of work to do before the color-changing molecule can be used outside the lab．
49.The passage is mainly about______________
A．a way of preventing building from breaking down
B．a series'-of earthquakes in Haiti and Chile
C．a way of warning before buildings collapse
D．a newly—discovered structure of a molecule
50.According to the passage，we call conclude that____________
A．there are problems to solve before putting the new material to use
B．scientists have found the life circle of buildings from “birth” to “death”
C．bright fight makes the red color visible to human eyes
D．the new material is unlikely to be used in building bridges
51.The color-changing molecule can___________
A．make building materials much stronger
B．help building materials get stretched if necessary
C．prevent the earthquake from killing people
D．remind people to leave buildings before they fall
52．The warning system is based on the fact that____________
A．red color won’t show up when it meets bright fight
B．a material with a certain type of molecule Can turn red when setched
C．a building has its own life circle of “birth”to“death”
D．the broken bond will fix itself when a molecule meets bright fight

B
15 Million Americans Suffer from Social Anxiety
Social anxiety disorder prevents some l 5 million Americans from leading normal social and romantic fives，a new survey finds．
The disorder leaves many isolated(孤立)and ashamed．36 percent of those with social
anxiety disorder have suffered for l0 year's or more before seeking help，the Anxiety Disorders Association of America reports．
“Social anxiety disorder is when somebody has a strong and long fear of social or performance situations，” Jerilyn Ross，the Association’s president and CE0，said．“The condition causes people to avoid common，everyday situations and even other people for fear of being judged or criticized or embarrassing(使……尴尬)themselves．”
Social anxiety disorder Can affect daily life and job performance．It also makes it very difficult for people to develop friends and romantic partnerships．
“People with this disorder recognize their fear is unreasonable，”Ross noted．But they feel powerless to do anything about it．”
The disorder also has physical symptoms(症状)，including heart palpitations(心悸)，feelings that their throat will close up，sweating，faintness，trembling．
“Among people with the disorder,75 percent said the condition affected their ability to do normal activities．In addition，69 percent said they didn’t want people to think they were crazy，and 58 percent said they were embarrassed by their condition．”Ross said．
“However, when the condition is diagnosed and treated，many reported improvement in their fives．In fact，59 percent who were receiving treatment said treatment had a positive effect on their ability to have a romantic relationship．In addition，39 percent who had received treatment said knowing that treatment can be successful aided their decision to get help. Ross noted．
45．People with social anxiety disorder are afraid of
A．being left aloneB．leading normal lives
C. Embarrassing other people D.Facing social situations
46．The percentage of sufferers who worry that others may consider them mad is_______
A．36％ B．69％ C．75％ D．59％
47．It can be learned from the last paragraph that___________
A．treatment of the disorder has no positive effect at all
B．sufferers’ condition is often hard to be diagnosed
C．treatment of the disorder helps many sufferers recover
D．anxiety disorder sufferers often refuse medical treatment
48．The author writes this passage to__________
A．tell people not to be anxious about their social performance
B．advise social anxiety disorder sufferers to receive proper treatment
C．highly praise Jerilyn Ross’achievement in the social survey
D. introduce the findings of a social survey about social anxiety disorder

第二部分阅读理解(共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题l分；满分45分)
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，
并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Has your child been living at home since graduating from college? By one astonishing
estimate(估计)，as many as 80％ of 2009 grads，usually jobless，are back at home．
You may complain a lot if so．“ The trick is finding a balance between your new
relationship and guiding your child toward independence．”says Elina Furman，author of Boomerang Nation．“Parents have to understand theycan’t hesitate(犹豫)，because that will make young adults feel unable to live on their own．” So you should sit down together and set certain rules：
Whether it’s $50 and some housework or simply$300 a month, your child should
contribute to the household．But don’t run off on vacation with that money．This could be an opportunity to teach the importance of saving for retirement or life goals．Furman advises investing(投资)your kid’s rent so he Can use it for, say, his first apartment．
Too many young adults think that if they Can’t find a job inⅡ1eir chosen career, they don’t have to be working．Not true．While your child looks for that dream job，he should earn small wages in fields such as food service or child care．You shouldn’t have to monitor her job hunt，but if she isn’t getting anywhere，it’s time to
step in．Talk about career moves she may be missin9．Consider meeting with a career counselor(职业规划顾问)to help get your child on the right course．
Set a cutoff time，because it’s easy to keep pushing off moving out．Fixing a date will encourage your child to find a job．And you’11 feel a sense of comfort knowing that your child won’t live at home forever．
“The more specific you get now, the less likely that conflict will break out later,” Furman says．
41．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．What to do to make yore-kids out of home．
B．What to do when college grads move back home．
C. How to help your children on their career path．
D．How to get along well with your kids．
42.If your child stays too long home after graduation from college，you should
A．set a time limit for him to move out B．buy him a small apartment
C. teach him how to save for retirement D．keep him off small—wage fields
43．What does “they” in the second paragraph refer to?
A．Children． B．Parents． C．Adults． D．Companies．
44．What should the rent from your child be used for?
A．You can spend it on holiday． B．You can pay the career counselor．
C．You Can keep it for child care． D．You Can invest it for the kid’s housing

D
I grew up in a small town. I was only ten years old when my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable (马厩). He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace. I washed dishes and cooked from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged.
One night, a woman executive (董事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I had my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man.
68. Why was the writer once known as a singing cook?
A. He was a cook at a country music club.
B. He sang for guests while he worked as a cook.
C. He often sang while cooking.
D. He liked singing better than cooking.
69. Who first recognized the writer’s talents and helped make him successful?
A. His brother. B. His manager.C. His father. D. A businesswoman.
70. It can be inferred from the passage that the ______.
A. writer’s success is partly due to his father B. writer’s family was very poor
C. writer succeeded easily D. writer’s first record was a total failure