No one knows exactly how many disabled people there are in the world，but estimates suggest the figure is over 450 million. The number of disabled people in India alone is probably more than double the total population of Canada.
In the United Kingdom，about one in ten people have some disability. Disability is not just something that happens to other people：as we get older，many of us will become less mobile，hard of hearing or have falling eyesight．
Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of life. Some people are born with disabilities．Many others become disabled as they get older. There are many progressive disabling diseases．The longer time goes on，the worse they become. Some people are disabled in accidents．Many others may have a period of disability in the form of a mental illness. All are affected by people’s attitude towards them．
Disabled people face many physical barriers．Next time you go shopping or to work or to visit friends，imagine how you would manage if you could not get up steps, or onto buses and trains. How would you cope if you could not see where you were going or could not hear the traffic? But there are other barriers: prejudice can be even harder to break down and ignorance inevitably represents by far the greatest barrier of all. It is almost impossible for the able-bodied to fully appreciate what the severely disabled go through，so it is important to draw attention to these barriers and show that it is the individual person and their ability，not their disability，which counts．The key word in Paragraph 4 is_______.
| A．disability | B．ignorance |
| C．prejudice | D．Barriers |
The last word of the passage “counts” most probably means_______.
| A．being most important | B．being considered |
| C．being included | D．being numbered |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Even the able-bodied may lose some of their body functions when they get older. |
| B．There are about 10 percent disabled persons in the UK. |
| C．The whole society should pay attention to the barriers faced by the disabled people. |
| D．There no longer exists prejudice against the disabled. |
It can be concluded from the passage that_______.
| A．we should try our best to prevent disablement |
| B．both physical and mental barriers are hard to break down |
| C．we must take a proper attitude towards the disabled |
| D．the able-bodied people will never fully understand the disabled |
Traveler
My fifteen-year-old son has just returned from abroad with rolls of exposed film and a hundred dollars in uncashed traveler’s checks, and is asleep at the moment．His blue duffel(粗呢) bag lies on the floor where he dropped it．Obviously, he postponed as much sleep as he could: when he walked in and we hugged, his electrical system suddenly switched off, and he headed directly for the bed, where I imagine he beat his old record of sixteen hours.
It was his first trip overseas, so weeks before it, I pressed travel books on him, and a tape cassette of useful French phrases; drew up a list of people to visit; advised him on clothing and other things．At the luggage store where we went to buy him a suitcase, he headed for the duffels, saying that suitcases were more for old people．
During the trip, he called home three times: from London, Paris, and a village named Ullapool．Near Ullapool, he climbed a mountain in a rainstorm that almost blew him off．In the village, a man spoke to him in Gaelic, and, too polite to interrupt, my son listened to him for ten or fifteen minutes, trying to nod in the right places．The French he learned from the cassette didn’t hold water in Paris．The French he talked to shrugged and walked on.
When my son called, I sat down at the kitchen table and leaned forward and hung on every word． His voice came through clearly, though two of the calls were like ship-to-shore communication．When I interrupted him with a “Great!” or a “Really?”, I knocked a little hole in his communication．So I just sat and listened． I have never listened to a telephone so attentively and with so much pleasure．It was wonderful to hear news from him that was so new to me．In my book, he was the first man to land on the moon, and I knew that I had no advice to give him and that what I had already given was probably not much help.
The unused checks are certainly evidence of that．Youth travels light．No suitcase, not much luggage and a slim expense account, and yet he went to the scene, and came back safely．I sit here amazed． The night when your child returns with dust on his shoes from a country you’ve never seen is a night you would gladly turn into a week．During the trip, the author’s son ______.
| A．ran out of money |
| B．had inadequate sleep |
| C．forgot to call his mother |
| D．failed to take good pictures |
According to the passage, which of the following could best describe the author’s son?
| A．Polite and careless． |
| B．Creative and stubborn. |
| C．Considerate and independent. |
| D．Self-centered and adventurous. |
What does the underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．It is important to listen to your child’s story. |
| B．It’s easy to interrupt the chat with your child. |
| C．The author is proud of her son landing on the moon. |
| D．The son no longer needs much help from his mother. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Good parents should protect their children from potential dangers. |
| B．The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. |
| C．It’s a win-win choice to give a child space to experience and explore． |
| D．Communication between parents and children is extremely important. |
Showrooming
One of the biggest challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers(实体零售店) in recent years has been the “showrooming”．Driven by the desire to get the best prices, many shoppers are now visiting brick-and-mortar stores to personally check on products that interest them, only to leave and then buy the items online．The new trend is forcing retailers to find out new ways to keep consumers from leaving their store for cheaper prices online.
Recent research found that 40 percent of U.S．shoppers have showroomed previously, with big-box retailers suffering the most．Specifically, the study shows that Best Buy, Walmart and Target are the most likely brick-and-mortar stores to have shoppers test out a product in-store and then purchase it online later, while Amazon is benefiting most from the practice, with nearly 60 percent of shoppers using the online retail giant(巨人) most often to make their showrooming purchases.
Smartphones have pushed showrooming into the front．Shoppers no longer have to wait until they get home to see if they can find a cheaper price for the products they’re considering buying．With smartphones, consumers can now compare virtual prices, at both other brick-and-mortar stores and online ones while still inside a retail store．If they can find what they’re seeking for less online, the majority will be seeking the first exit．A recent study showed that 45 percent of customers shopping at brick-and-mortar stores walk out and buy their purchase online for a discount of as little as 2.5 percent．
This puts pressure on retailers to provide both an in-store experience worth staying for and an online presence that can attract shoppers who are showrooming in other businesses.
To cut down on showrooming, many retailers are adopting new methods to keep shoppers in their stores．Among the steps they’re taking are price-matching guarantees that allow shoppers to pay a discounted price if they find it cheaper online．This ensures that even a showrooming shopper can make the purchase in the store—regardless of whether they find the cheaper price online.
Another popular method to fight against showrooming is to give shoppers the ability to buy something online and pick it up at the store．This reduces shipping costs and gets customers in the store, where they may be encouraged to make an additional purchase．
It is also important for businesses to take into consideration what makes shoppers purchase something in-store rather than online, and meet those needs．Research has found that more than 8 in 10 Americans consider being able to take the goods home immediately and the ability to touch and feel them—the most important aspects when deciding to purchase in a store rather than online.According to the passage, a showrooming shopper tends to ______.
| A．pay for everything online |
| B．have better bargaining skills |
| C．rush to buy things in a store |
| D．purchase online for a lower price |
What contributes to the growing popularity of showrooming?
| A．The wide use of smartphones． |
| B．The competition between big stores. |
| C．The advertisement by online retail giants. |
| D．The decline of the brick-and-mortar stores. |
The underlined words “seeking the first exit” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.
| A．searching for lower prices |
| B．leaving as soon as possible |
| C．locating the first exit quickly |
| D．making a purchase on the spot |
The last three paragraphs mainly talk about ways of ______.
| A．increasing sales at stores |
| B．preventing purchase online |
| C．satisfying customers’ needs |
| D．advising shoppers to buy more |
More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life
Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less—and liking it
Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel．Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets.
“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms．Giddens, “This is a phenomenon that’s fairly widespread． A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do．If their base is being damaged, what’s the payoff?”
Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.
Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make．“You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms．Robin says, “You tend not to use things up．You cook at home rather than eat out…”
Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks．“It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says, “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”
Mrs．Luhrs now edits a magazine, Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less.
“It’s not about poverty,” Mrs．Luhrs explains, “It’s about conscious living and creating the life you want．The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn.”Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to ______.
| A．pay off the debt |
| B．start a private hotel |
| C．cut down expenses |
| D．buy living necessities |
Simple living includes ______.
| A．building a home library |
| B．living in the countryside |
| C．enjoying a colorful night life |
| D．sharing housing with others |
It can be learned from the passage that now Janet Luhrs ______.
| A．spends more time with her kids |
| B．has an interest in classical music |
| C．works as a reporter of a magazine |
| D．helps people buy recycled clothes |
How does the author develop the passage?
| A．By using figures. |
| B．By asking questions. |
| C．By giving examples． |
| D．By making comparisons． |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Camp All-Star
One of a Kind Summer Camps for Kids
Welcome to Camp All-Star, your No．1 summer sports camp for kids! Located on the famous Kents Hill School campus by the beautiful lake, Camp All-Star hosts kids from around the world． When thinking about your next overnight summer camp, consider the best—Camp All-Star!
Great Sports Summer Camps for Kids
Camp All-Star stands out among the successful camps in the U.S．We have the best sports fields and courts to make your child’s sports camp experience a successful one．Your child can enjoy playing for hours in any of our more than 30 sports and activities each day．Our camper to staff rate is three to one, which makes it possible for children to receive more careful instruction．
We have a wide variety of activities and sports to choose from: fishing, dance, basketball, soccer, baseball, and tennis．Boys and girls, aged 8-16, can customize their own schedules in our 2, 3, 4 or 6 week summer camp session for kids.
The aim of Camp All-Star is to develop athletic skills, encourage abilities in leadership, fair play and team work, and provide a fun, rewarding and memorable summer sports camp experience．Our staff have the experience and qualified training necessary to ensure that your child has a successful, memorable and enjoyable time at our summer camp.
Call Today About Our Overnight Summer Camps for Kids
Don’t let your kids waste another summer playing video games and sitting around． Let them enjoy their time and get some exercise at our exciting and friendly summer sports camp．Information for our upcoming camps can be found on our website．For additional information or questions, contact us today．We hope your kids can join us at Camp All-Star!Camp All-Star stands out among the others because it ______.
| A．is surrounded by a beautiful lake |
| B．provides various activities and sports |
| C．offers timely information on its websit |
| D．allows children to play outside all day long |
One of the goals of Camp All-star is to ______.
| A．fire kids’ imagination |
| B．build up kids’ confidence |
| C．develop kids’ leadership skills |
| D．promote kids’ self-control |
This advertisement is intended for ______.
| A．parents |
| B．coaches |
| C．staff |
| D．campers |
Being Authoritative (由权威的) Parents
Phrases like “tiger mom” and ‘‘helicopter parent” have made their way into everyday language．Many of us find ourselves drawn to the idea that with just a bit more parental hard work and effort, we might turn out children with bright futures．But is there anything wrong with a kind of “overparenting style”?
Parental involvement has a long history of being studied． Many of the studies, conducted by Diana Baumrind, a famous psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that a good parent is the one who is involved and reacts to her child in a positive way, who sets high expectations but gives her child independence．These “authoritative parents” appear to hit the sweet spot of parental involvement and generally raise children who do better academically, psychologically and socially than children whose parents are not strict and less involved, or controlling and more involved． Why is this parenting style so successful?
Authoritative parents actually help improve motivation in their children．Carol Dweck, a social psychologist at Stanford University, has done research that indicates why authoritative parents raise more motivated children．In a typical experiment, Dr．Dweck takes young children into a room and asks them to solve a simple puzzle．Most do so with little difficulty．But then Dr．Dweck tells some, but not all, of the kids how clever they are．As it turns out, the children who are not told they’re smart are more motivated to solve increasingly difficult puzzles．They also show higher levels of confidence and show greater progress in puzzle-solving．
As the experiment suggests, praising children’s talents and abilities seems to shake their confidence．Dealing with more difficult puzzles carries the risk of losing one’s status as “smart”．Dr．Dweck’s work strongly supports that of Dr．Baumrind, who also found that reasonably supporting a child’s independence and limiting interference (干涉) causes better academic and emotional results．
The central task of growing up is to develop a sense of self that is independent and confident．If you treat your young child who is just learning to walk as if she can’t walk, you reduce her confidence．Allowing children to make mistakes is one of the greatest challenges of parenting．It is easier when they are young．The potential mistakes carry greater risks, and part of being a parent is reducing risk for our children．According to the passage, a “tiger mom” ______．
| A．helps her children realize their dreams |
| B．speaks her children’s everyday language |
| C．places reasonable expectations on her children |
| D．pays close attention to her children’s experiences |
It is implied that controlling style of parenting may _____．
| A．face more challenges of children |
| B．foster independence in children |
| C．cause more problems in children |
| D．lead to children’s academic success |
The example of the children doing the puzzles suggests that ______．
| A．a good game plays a big role in training young minds |
| B．overpraising makes children less motivated and confident |
| C．puzzle-solving can give children the motivation they need |
| D．bright children usually show less confidence in difficult games |
The last paragraph tells us that ______．
| A．children should not be given much freedom |
| B．parents should not increase the risk of challenging |
| C．parents should allow their children to learn from mistakes |
| D．children should correct mistakes with the help of their parents |