“Who does the cooking in your home?” I’m often asked by my colleagues. “My wife and I share it 50/50,” I usually say without hesitation.
It’s a lie, of course. We’re pretty much even（相等的）when it comes to the children and the elderly. But the paying of bills isn’t 50/50-my wife pays all sorts of household expenses, so I never even have to set eyes on them. And the cooking isn’t 50/50, either.
The truth is that I am the cook. On my recent 40th birthday, I received the following gifts from my children: a new pot, two mini bottles of truffle oil, a decorative salad-dressing pourer, and a juice-making machine. For a moment I longed for something more manly, a cricket bat, perhaps, and then had to admit that all these things would be useful for me.
It’s not that my wife can’t or doesn’t like to cook (she makes delicious Welsh cakes). Nor has it always been this way. In the early years of our marriage I’d be relaxing with a glass of wine while my wife prepared for dinner after work.
But at some point that changed and I became the cook. Ten years with my wife gave me the rewards-I can throw together a roast, and I can make much foreign food. But I have truly become a monster（怪物）in the kitchen, unable to keep myself away from cooking. “You have to add Dijon to the sauce; it brings out the taste of the cheese,” I volunteer, as my wife is cooking. “Quick, stir in the butter so the dish becomes delicious.”
Is it any wonder that my wife has given up coming into the kitchen while I find the whole process of chopping, mixing, and adding things deeply satisfying?
What do the writer and his wife probably share evenly at home?
a．Cooking in the kitchen.
b．Taking care of the children.
c．Paying household expenses.
d．Taking care of the elderly at home.
| A．ab | B．bd | C．bc | D．ac |
The gifts that the writer received on his 40th birthday show that .
| A．he is in charge of the cooking at home |
| B．his children don’t know him at all |
| C．he doesn’t get along well with his children |
| D．his children have made wrong choices |
What do we know about the writer’s wife?
| A．She can’t cook. |
| B．She doesn’t like cooking. |
| C．She only knows how to make Welsh cakes |
| D．She used to cook for the family. |
From Paragraph 5 we learn that the writer .
| A．likes sticking his nose into other people’s business |
| B．doesn’t think his wife is good at cooking |
| C．studies very hard in order to cook well |
| D．enjoys cooking in the kitchen |
Many Chinese kids, known as "left-behind" children, hardly ever see their parents, because their parents are migrant workers.
Li Ling, 11, is a left-behind child. Her parents have been working in Zhejiang for 10 years, while she lives with her grandparents in Guangdong. She was reunited with her parents last Spring Festival. As the number of migrant workers in China increases, the number of left-behind children is rising fast. Li is one of the 61. 02 million left-behind children under 17. They account for 37. 7 percent of rural children and 21. 88 percent of all Chinese children
The large number of left-behind children has already become a social issue. If left unsolved, it will cause serious problems, Wang Zhenyao, director of the China Philanthropy Research Institute, told China Daily. The education level of adults supervising（监管） these children is generally not that high. They can only take care of the children's personal safety and daily living, being unable to care for their educational and spiritual needs. Meanwhile, the absence of parental support will make some left-behind children lack self-confidence. They may be slower in physical and emotional growth than their peers. Others may even become "problem youths".
To solve this problem, the government is taking action. For instance, 30 provinces and cities have allowed certain children to attend school and take the college entrance exam in the city where their parents are. However, Wang suggested that the country do more, such as making policies encouraging migrant workers to work in their hometowns. He also said that a well-balanced child welfare system is needed. "These children are the future of the nation, so they deserve our loving care and protection," Wang said.Left-behind kids hardly see their parents because _______.
| A．they are poor and in rural areas |
| B．they are brought up by their grandparents |
| C．their parents are making a living in other cities |
| D．their parents don't go back home on Spring Festival |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Li Ling hasn't seen her parents for about 10 years. |
| B．Left-behind children have become problem youths. |
| C．There are 61. 02 million left-behind children in China. |
| D．Much remains to be done to settle the left-behind kids issue. |
The purpose of the passage is _______.
| A．to criticize the migrant workers who leave their children at home |
| B．to focus on the present situation of the left-behind children |
| C．to worry about the present situation of left-behind children |
| D．to call on the government to educate the migrant workers |
In which column of a newspaper can we most probably find this passage?
| A．Education. | B．Society. | C．Entertainment. | D．Employment. |
There was great excitement on the planet of Venus (金星) . Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since.
The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan, named after the great Venusian astronomer Professor. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago.
Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility (可行性) of a manned flying saucer landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.
"We have come to the conclusion, based on last week's satellite landing," Prof. Zog said, "that there is no life on Earth."
"How do you know this?" the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked.
"For one thing, Earth's surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive."
"What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?"
"We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally planned."
"Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies?"
"Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering (盘旋) over the surface of Earth? We don't know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we send a Venus Being there."
"Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer."
"If all you say is true, won't this set back the flying saucer program several years?"
"Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds(资金)." Profession. Zog replied. According to the passage, the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information about _____.
| A．the feasibility of landing a satellite on Earth |
| B．the possibility of making a first-rate flying saucer |
| C．the feasibility of sending a Venus Being to Earth |
| D．the possibility of directing a flying saucer into Manhattan |
Why will the Venusian have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because _____.
| A．they need it in their way to the planet of Earth |
| B．the Earth's atmosphere is filled with deadly gases |
| C．there is a low level of oxygen for Venusians |
| D．there is no air on the planet of Earth |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．landing a manned flying saucer on Earth will be carried out soon |
| B．Venusians will land on Earth to help to stop serious pollution |
| C．it’s unnecessary to land a manned flying saucer on Earth at present |
| D．pollution on Earth makes it impossible for Venusians to survive there |
Where can you probably read such a passage?.
| A．In a popular magazine. | B．In a fairy tale. |
| C．In an observation journal | D．In science fiction |
In 1980，Candy Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter Cad was killed by a drunk driver as she walked down a suburban street in California. “I promised myself on the day of my daughter’s death that I would fight to make this needless accident count for something positive in the years ahead,” Candy Lightener later wrote.
The drunk driver received a two-year prison sentence. However, he avoided prison by serving time in a work camp and a halfway house. Ms. Lightner was very angry about that and so organized Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), which later changed to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The aim of her organization was to raise public awareness of the serious nature of drunk driving and to promote tough legislation against the crime.
Before Ms. Lightner’s MADD, intoxication (醉酒), including drunk driving, was not taken seriously. Intoxication was often used as an excuse for otherwise unacceptable behavior: “I didn’t know what I was doing—I was drunk.”
Candy Lightner appeared on major television shows, spoke before the US Congress, addressed professional and business, groups, and worked tirelessly for years to change public attitudes, change judicial(审判的) behaviour, and promote tough new legislation. Ms. Lightner left MADD because the organization that she herself created is changing its focus. “I didn’t start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving.”
The President of the United States awarded her the President’s Volunteer Action Award and she was the subject of the movie “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers: the Candy Lightner Story”.One of the purposes of MADD was to______ .
| A．make the public aware of the danger of drunk driving |
| B．fight against the drunk hit-and-run drivers on the road |
| C．make new laws against crimes caused by drinking |
| D．warn people not to drink alcohol while driving |
which way didn’t Ms. Lightner use to achieve her MADD’s goals?
| A．Talking on major TV shows. |
| B．Giving a talk to businessmen. |
| C．Applying for a job with the government. |
| D．Giving suggestions to the US Congress. |
We can learn from the passage that______.
| A．the drunk driver had not been caught |
| B．drunk driving didn’t receive enough attention before MADD |
| C．Candy Lightner played a leading role in a film |
| D．MADD didn’t get much support from society |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Ways to prevent drunk driving |
| B．Purposes of founding MADD |
| C．New law against drunk driving |
| D．Candy Lightner and her MADD |
Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy life.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. But mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.
Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs. A person who lives an unhappy life can be described as “_______”.
| A．becoming sick as a dog | B．leading a dog’s life |
| C．living in a dog-eat-dog world | D．Working like a dog |
The underlined word “mean” in Paragraph 4 most probably means “_______”.
| A．violent | B．selfish | C．wild | D．Poor |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Everyone can be successful if he learns from the old. |
| B．It might be difficult for the young to learn new skills. |
| C．Junkyard dogs are careful in money arrangement. |
| D．Fierce persons aren’t so awful as their appearance sometimes. |
To support his idea, the author develops the text mainly by _______.
| A．listing reasons | B．using idioms |
| C．giving examples | D．Making comparisons |
My interest in Chinese food started years a90, when l was a young reporter for the Washington Post. Our office wasn’t far from Chinatown, where I found some very good Chinese restaurants．
The first time I ever ate Chinese food I loved it. I noticed the fresh taste of the meat and vegetables. When I learned more about the food, I began to understand why it has this special feature.
Many years ago, China had an energy crisis because it lost much of its wood due to over population and poor management of its forests. This loss was very bad for the country, of course, but it turned out to be very good for the food. Wood became very expensive and hard to get，so the Chinese had to either find a substitute for their valuable wood，or learn how to use it better. There weren’t any substitutes so people found ways to economize.
In order to economize in cookin9, they had to use very little wood. So they started cutting their meat and vegetables into small pieces before they put them in the hot oil．That way，the food cooked faster and they saved their fuel. The food prepared in this way kept its fresh flavor一and it's this flavor that attracts people from other countries to the art of Chinese cooking. This text is mainly about________.
| A．what caused Chinese food to taste fresh |
| B．how Chinese food is cooked in the US |
| C．when the author started to make Chinese food |
| D．why most foreigners like cooking Chinese food |
The author mentioned the energy crisis to show________.
| A．it is important to protect the forests |
| B．it is necessary to find substitutes for wood |
| C．why the Chinese changed their way of cooking |
| D．what problems a big population is causing China today |
It can be inferred from the text that before the energy crisis Chinese food________.
| A．was cooked in rather large pieces |
| B．was cooked in water but not oil |
| C．didn’t taste good |
| D．didn’t look fresh |