As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is
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As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping (录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings (兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
66．The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
A．show the relationship between parents and children
B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C．report on the findings of a study
D．give information about family problems
67．Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
A．they are busy serving food to their children
B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C．they have to pay more attention to younger children
D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
68．By saying “Middle children are invisible” in Paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.
A．have to help their parents to serve dinner
B．get the least attention from the family
C．are often kept away from the dinner table
D．find it hard to keep up with other children
69．Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
A．why TV is important in family life
B．why parents should keep good order
C．why children in small families seem to be quieter
D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
70．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A．It is important to have the right food for children.
B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner |
答案
66---70 CBBDC |
解析
66.C 点评：从第一段第二句话可知。
67.B 点评：第二段第三句话But as the number of children gets larger，conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make.表明该题选B。
68.B 点评：在该句话后面，Lewis接着解释When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner，chances are it’s the middle child，说明 the middle children不能得到太多重视。
69.D 点评：文章第三段第一句话 The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings.表明答案为D。
70.C 点评：从第二段第4，5句话可以推知该题答案为C。 |
举一反三
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the longhours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of l
iving and downshifting is one of them.
Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs(郊区), leaving their two children with a nanny(保姆). Most evenings Daniel wouldn"t get home until eight or nine o"clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It"s taken some getting used to, but it"s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it"s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.”
Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I"m not really a country girl, but I suppose I"m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about ittoo much or you might not do it at all.”
1.What do the first two paragraphs tell us?
A.People seldom work long hours to make money.
B.People hardly buy more things than necessary.
C.People are sure everything they own is in the right place.
D.People realise there is more to life than just making money.
2.When Daniel was a reporter he ________ .
A.lived in central London B.disliked his job
C.missed his children D.was well paid
3.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ________.
A.was easy to organize B.has improved family life
C.was extremely expensive D.has been a total success
4.What does the underlined “it” in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Childcaring. B.Liz"s advice. C.Downshifting. D.Liz"s job.
5.The underlined word “_________downshifting” in the second paragraph means ________ .
A.repairing your car by yourself
B.spending money carefully
C.moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life
D.living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week |
I needed to get some money so, after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham"s for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can"t say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I"ll never forget.
I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock(货物) and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the summer clothes they couldn"t sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them. Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days before the sale begins and then are reduced by 60% in the sale. Clever! Lastly, they buy in “seconds”(clothes not in perfect condition) for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.
When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous.
When the big moment arrived to open the doors, the security guards, looking less
confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn"t believe my eyes; this wasn"t shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn"t keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.
Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small child
ren to crawl(爬行) through people"s legs and get hold of things they couldn"t get near themselves.
Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole
day continued like that, but I kept my temper(脾气)! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realise why, twice a year, Graham"s were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.
In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.
You won"t believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.
1.What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5% cheaper?
Last summer"s clothes.
B.Clothes not in perfect condition.
C.Clothes bought in specially for the sales.
D.Clothes for winter.
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A.The customers gave up the queuing, for which the English are famous.
B.The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.
C.Small children enjoyed crawling through people"s legs.
D.The security guards were fearless of the crowd.
3.In the author"s opinion, why were Graham"s happy to make their expensive store into a “battlefield”?
A.There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.
B.They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.
C.They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes.
D.They wanted to make more money by having sales.
4.The expression “_________crashed out” means ________.
A.chatted with her friendsB.slept soundlyC.broke downD.dined out
5. What would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Best Bargain B.Hunting for a Job
C.Sale Fever D.A Pleasant Fortnight |
It was 3:21 a.m. when nineyearold Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the cracking(爆裂声) of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the twostorey house at Baldwin, Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smokefilled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, collapsed on the lawn.
The nine-year-old boy raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother"s room. He found it impossible to wake her up. Mrs Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later,“acted with all the selfcontrol of a trained adult.”
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smokefilled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string from the garage, Glenn raced back into the
house and dashed upstairs to his mother"s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan:“The string will lead
you to Mother.” Mrs Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1.Why did Glenn run downstairs first?
A. He wanted to find out what was happening.
B. He was worried about his mother"s safety.
C. He wanted to save his sister and his brother.
D. He went to see if his father had come back from work.
2. How did Glenn help the firemen to save his mother?
A. By throwing water all over her and her bed.
B. By carrying her to safety with his brother.
C. By pushing and pulling at her.
D. By tying a string to her hand.
3. Who called the fire brigade and ambulance service?
A. Glenn. B. Glenn"s father. C. Glenn"s sister. D. Glenn"s neighbor.
4.What did Glenn do to protect himself?
A. He put a wet cloth around himself. B. He threw water all over his head.
C. He hid himself in the bathroom. D. He rushed out to the lawn.
5. Glenn saved his family because ________ .
A. his father had taught him to do so on the phone
B. he had learned something about the first aid
C. he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely
D. he had followed his mother"s instruction |
Down-to-earth means someone or something that is honest, practical and easy to deal with. It is 1 to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to and 2 other people as equals. A down-to-earth person is just the 3 of someone who acts important and prouD．
Down-to-earth persons 4 be important members of society. 5 they don’t let their importance “go to their heads”. They do not 6 themselves to be better persons than others of less importance. Someone who is filled with his own importance and pride, often without cause, is 7 to have “his nose in the air”. There is 8 way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.
Americans 9 another expression that means almost the same as down-to-earth. The expression is “both-feet-on-the-ground”. Someone with both-feet-on-the-ground is a person with a good 10 of reality. He 11 what is called “common sense”. He may have 12 , but he does not allow them to 13 his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of 14 is one who has hid “head-in-the-clouds”. A man with his head-in-the-clouds is a dreamer whose 15 is not in the real world．
16 , such a dreamer can be brought back to reality. 17 words from a teacher can usually get a day-dreaming student to put both feet back on the grounD．Usually, the person who is down-to-earth is very 18 to have both feet on the ground．19 we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are down-to-earth, and we act honestly and openly 20 others. Our lives are like the ground below us, said and strong.
1．A．pleasant B．sad C．commonD．surprising
2．A．meets B．welcomes C．receives D．accepts
3．A．case B．kind C．opposite D．example
4．A．must B．may C．should D．will
5．A．But B．So C．For D．And
6．A．wish B．expect C．desire D．consider
7．A．said B．told C．asked D．made
8．A．some B．a C．no D．every
9．A．discover B．find C．make D．use
10．A．understandingB．wish C．reason D．expectation
11．A．demandsB．lacks C．has D．likes
12．A．fortunes B．dreams C．achievements D．disadvantages
13．A．block B．protect C．Own D．gain
14．A．idea B．people C．attitude D．person
15．A．mind B．life C．body D．head
16．A．Always B．Therefore C．HoweverD．Sometimes
17．A．Sharp B．All C．No D．Bad
18．A．possible B．probable C．likely D．able
19．A．Though B．Since C．When D．Unless
20．A．towards B．for C．over D．Onto |
Growing up together in Twin Falls, Idaho, Lisa Fry and Paula Turner never doubted their friendship would last forever. But after Fry married, moved to New York City and had a baby, her letters to Turner suddenly went unanswered. "Do you think I"ve somehow offended her?" Fry asked her husband.
Turner, meanwhile, had thought she was no longer important to Fry. "She"s got a family now," she told herself. "We"re just too different to be close like before."
Finally, Fry picked up the courage to call her old friend. At first, the conversation was awkward, yet soon they both admitted that they missed each other. A month later, they got together, laughing and sharing confidences.
"Thank goodness I finally took action," Fry says. "We both realized we were as important to each other as ever."
There are good reasons to value our friendships. Once a public-opinion research firm, Roper Starch Worldwide, asked 2007 people to identify one or two things that said the most about themselves. Friends far outranked（高于）homes, jobs, clothes and cars.
“A stable friendship carries a long history of experience and interaction and keeps us connected,” says Donald Pannen, executive officer of the Western Psychological Association. "It is what we should protect." However, says Brant R. Burleson, professor of communication at Purdue University, "The better friends you are, the more likely you"ll face conflicts." And even the result can be what you don"t want--an end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. Here"s what experts suggest:
◆Swallow your pride.
◆Apologize when you"re wrong--even if you"ve also been wronged.
◆See things from your friend"s point of view.
◆Accept that friendships change.
Making friends can sometimes seem easy, says Yager. The hard part is keeping the connections strong and long. Her suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and develop.
71．The first paragraph is written mainly to_______.
A．complain something to her husband
B．show Lisa Fry missed her friend
C．show family is more important than friendship
D．introduce the topic to be discussed
72．The underlined word “awkward” in the third paragraph probably means______.
A．uncomfortable B．uninteresting C．convenient D．relaxed
73．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
A．Once friendship is broken, there is no way to be repaired.
B．People don’t value friendship over other things
C．The more and better friends we make, the happier we are.
D．Lisa Fry and Paula Turner were as important to each other as ever.
74．Experts suggest that_________.
A．Making friends should be no difficult experience.
B．We should consider things for our friends first
C．We should not have to apologize if it is not our fault
D．Friendship should be one-way process and worth our effort.
75．Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A．A Broken Friendship
B．Opinions on Friendship and Friends
C．What Is Good Friendship?
D．How to Mend a Broken Friendship |
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