阅读理解 Marriages improve after children grow up and move out,according to an ac
题型：同步题难度：来源：
an "empty nest" is not always a bad thing.
Popular wisdom has it that parents" relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop,because they
feel they have lost their purpose in life.However,a new study by researchers at the University of California,
Berkeley,has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they
are able to enjoy spending time together.
In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their
satisfaction levels shortly after marrying,when they were bringing up babies,once their children reached
their teenage years and finally at age 61,when almost all had "empty nests"．
Although not all said they
were happier in general,most claimed their marriages had improved since theirchildren had left home.Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time
together,but because they were able to enjoy each other"s company more.
One of the participants in the study,which is published in the journal Psychological Science,said:"Once
the kids grow up...there"s some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed,so things are a little
more relaxed."
Psychologist Sara Gorchoff,who carried out the in
vestigation,said:"The takehome
message for couples with young children is "hang in there"．" Her coauthor Oliver John added:"Don"t wait until your kids leave
home to schedule quality time with your partner."
However,Dr Dorothy Rowe,from the British Psychological Society,said
the effects of living in an "emptynest" will depend on the parents" relationship with their children."If you"re just waiting for them to leave
home so you can get on with your life,then of course you"ll be pleased to see them go," she said,"But if
you"ve built your life around your children you"ll be terribly lonely.For some parents,their world falls apart
when their children leave."
B．an "empty nest" is always a happy thing
C．parents" relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out
D．parents will be pleased after their children leave home
B．Shortly after marrying.
C．Once their children reached their teenage years.
D．When they were bringing up babies.
B．many couples are able to enjoy each other"s company
C．things are a little more relaxed
D．many couples needn"t work at all
B．parents should schedule quality time with each other before kids leave home
C．parents" relationship with their kids has no effect on marriages at all
D．parents should be pleased to see their kids leave home
答案
举一反三
smile to the faces of sick children.
“I’m a Theodora clown doctor.I call myself Dr Looloo.I spend two days a week in children’s
hospitals，making funny faces，telling jokes，and doing magic tricks.As I walk into the wards I blow
bubbles，shake hands with the kids，and make up nonsense songs for those children well enough to sing.I take special balloons to make ‘balloon animals’ and tell funny stories about them.
I’m naturally a very cheerful person.I’ve always been a clown.In fact my father’s a clown and I started working with him when I was eight years old.I knew it was just the job for me and I became a clown
doctor because I think it’s a great way to cheer up sick，frightened children in hospital.
Being a clown in hospital is very tiring both physically and emotionally.We have to learn not to show
our feelings，otherwise we’d be useless.Clown doctors are sensitive but this is not a side most people see.To the children we’re happy all the time.I’m still learning to allow myself to feel sad occasionally.There
working with a very sick little girl from Bosnia who speaks no English，so our only common language
islaughter.
At weekends I participate in events to raise money for Theodora Children’s Trust.It’s a charity，so we are paid with the money people give.Being a clown doctor makes the worrie
s of everyday life seem small.All in all I feel honoured to do this job.”
1．Lucy works as a clown doctor because________.
A．her father is a clown
B．she has been a clown since she was eight
C．laughter is a great help to sick children
D．working in hospital brings her extra money
2．What do clown doctors usually do in hospital?
A．Teach kids how to speak English.
B．Cheer kids up with funny stories.
C．Join in activities to raise money.
D．Develop kids’ sense of humour.
3．Lucy thinks that being a clown doctor is________.
A．an honourable and meaningful practice
B．an interesting job to make a living
C．a good way of getting rid of her worries
D．an experience of great fun
but a faster network loads Web pages more quickly, true GPS functionality allows it to easily
find places nearby, and the new $199 price (down from $400) makes it an affordable luxury.
Before deciding whether to buy, however, make sure you can actually take advantage of
the iPhone 3G"s high-speed data network. 3G stands for third-generation,
which in non-geekspeak translates to Web pages and mail messages that, ideally, load about three times faster
than on the original iPhone. Even better, 3G coverage enables you to make a phone call and
surf the Web at the same time. That"s great, if you live or work in a place where the 3G
network of AT&T(美国电话电报公司) (the sole wireless carrier of the iPhone) is active.
That"s not so great in cities like New York where AT&T"s cellular coverage is awful. As one
of my colleagues in New York City, who bought the original iPhone, commented, "It"s just
a toy. You can"t make phone calls on it, so I carry my Verizon phone with me all the time."
The real fun begins when you tap on the icon called
"App Store" and start browsing thehundreds of add-on applications that have been developed just for the iPhone. You"ll find
tons of games (I like JirboBreak, a free game inspired by the Atari classic Breakout) and
mobile versions
of popular websites like Pandora, Facebook, MySpace and the New YorkTimes. Most apps will cost you, but the vast majority are $9.99 or less. The apps work on
the old iPhones too, but you"ll enjoy them a lot more on the iPhone 3G because many of the
programs, including Yelp (local business reviews), Whrrl (mobile social networking) and
UrbanSpoon (restaurant reviews), use your exact location - provided by the iPhone 3G"s
GPS chip - to make recommendations. The apps also load much faster over the 3G network.
B. It has a faster network
C. It is easy to locate a place
D.
It is too expensive for people to buyB. Because he prefers Verizon phone better.
C.
Because AT&T"s cellular coverage is terrible thereD. Because Verizon phone enables him make a phone call and surf the Web at the same time
B. many apps have been developed for the iPhone.
C. Most apps are very expensive.
D. Pandora, Facebook, MySpace and the New York Times are popular websites.
B. appreciative
C. optimistic
D. pessimistic
different life problems and challenges. No one is free of life problems. Only a dead man faces no
problem. As long as you are alive, challenges are everywhere.
How do you face problems and challenges in your life? Problems and challenges are the building
blocks of your personality. They make you who you are. Besides, whether what happened in your life
builds or destructs you depends on how you look at it. If you take your problems as troubles, they will
be troubles and may cause destruction. If you take them as constructive tools, you are going to be built
up on them.
Problems are everywhere. No one can avoid them. And they are good too. They open up a different
look and opportunity if you are willing to see. When you face troubles, do not frustrate or freak out. Just
cool yourself to think in a different direction. Think in a positive way. Every problem has its own good as
well as bad sides. Focus on the good one. Look at the bright side.
Besides, there is always a good person, perhaps your mom or dad, or one of your friends, right
beside you who can turn everything in to your best if you are willing to turn to them. No matter what
happens, they will be there to help you. Trust them and they will never let you down. All you need to
know is that you are loved wherever you are.
1. What"s the meaning of the underlined phrase "freak out" in Paragraph 1 ?
A. Feel shy.
B. Stay calm.
C. Keep up.
D. Feel upset.
2. In Paragraph 2, the writer implies that______
A. problems cause troubles
B. attitude is everything
C. challenges can be avoided
D. personalities are built on failures
3. According to the last paragraph, when we"re in trouble, we _______.
A. can only depend on our parents
B. are not alone
C. should only believe ourselves
D. are not confident
4. What"s the writer" purpose to write the passage?
A. To encourage.
B. To compare.
C. To prove.
D. To explain.
| The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines | Features: The Tokyo Metro and Toei lines that make up of Tokyo"s huge subway system carry almost 8 million people each day, making it the busiest system in the world. The system is famous for its oshiya- literally, "pusher"- who push passengers into crowded subway cars so the doorscan close. And you think your ride is hell. |
| The Moscow Metro | Features: The Moscow Metro has some of the most beautiful stations in the world. The best of them were built during the Stalinist era and feature chandeliers(枝行吊灯),marble moldings and elaborate murals(精美壁画). With more than 7 million riders a day , keeping all that marble clean has got to be a burden. |
| The Hong Kong MTR | Features: The Hong Kong MTR has the distinction of being one of the few subway systems in the world that actually turns a profit. It"s privately owned and uses real estate development along its tracks to increase income and ridership. It also introduced "Octopus cards" that allow people to not only pay their fares electronically, but buy stuff at convenience stores ,supermarkets, restaurants and even parking meters. It"s estimated that 95% of all adults in Hong Kong own an Octopus card. |
| Shanghai Metro | Features: Shanghai is the third city in China to build a metro system, and it has become the country"s largest in the 12 years since it opened. Shanghai Metro has 142 miles of track and plans to add another 180 miles within five years. By that point, it would be three times larger than Chicago "L". The system carries about 2.18 million people a day. |
| The London Metro | Features: Londoners call their subway the Underground, even though 55 percent of it lies above ground. No matter when you"ve got the oldest mass-transit system in the world, you can call it anything you like. Trains started in 1863 and they"ve been running ever since. Some 3 million people ride each day, every one of them remembering to "Mind the gap" |
| 阅读理解 | |
| Many people would interpret "The American dream" as "living like an American"-a two-story house with a white picket fence; a family with two cars; and two children. However, the economic situation is now affecting the American way of life for 4.4 million people living in the US, according to new census (人口普查) data. "It"s going to have a long-term impact and to say it"s going to end is optimistic, " says Cheryl Russell, former editor-in- chief of American Demographics magazine. "I"m more pessimistic that this is the new normal." So what is the new normal? *Marrying later. The average age of the first marriage has increased to 28.7 for men and 26.7 for women, up from 27.5 and 25.9 respectively in 2006. At the same time, fewer people are getting married. If the marriage rate had stayed the same as in 2006, there would have been about 4 million more married people in 2010. *Fewer babies. There were 200,000 fewer births among women aged 20 to 34 in 2010 compared with two years before. This was despite the fact that the number of women of childbearing age had gone up by more than 1 million. "The recession(衰退) is the likely cause ," says Kenneth Johnson, demographer at the University of New Hampshire"s Carsey Institue, "Economic fertility (生育能力)" because women delay …in uncertain times. *Breaking up is harder. The number of divorces has been falling for 25 years as people wait longer or choose to live together before they get married. There were about 65,000 fewer divorces in 2010 than in 2008, a 7 percent decrease. *Crowd living. Unemployment is forcing more people to live together. The number of households where people lived with "other relatives" climbed from 6.7 percent in 2006 to 7.2 percent in 2010. *Going public. Private school enrollment decreased from 13.6 percent in 2006 to 12.8 percent in 2010. *Fewer cars. The percent age of households without a car rose to 9.1 percent against 8.8 percent in 2006. The percent-age of households with two or more cars fell from 58 percent to 57.1 percent. *Driving solo. When people are not working, they don"t carpool. The proportion of people aged 16 to 64 in employment dropped greatly in all but one of the 50 largest metropolitan (大城市的) areas. That has helped push the share of people driving to work alone from 76 percent in 2006 to 76.6 percent in 2010. Ride-sharing is down a full percentage point, to 9.7 percent. 1. What is the article mainly about? A. The interpretation of "the American dream". B. The significance of the current economic crisis. C. Changes to the American lifestyle. D. The traditional American way of life. 2. What might Cheryl Russell agree with according to the article? A. A traditional lifestyle is much better and healthier. B. The new study based on the members" financial reports. C. The spirit of American dream will inspire Americans to get through the economic recession. D. American lifestyles are being reshaped and will continue to change 3. What are the characteristics of the future American lifestyle? a. Delayed marriage. b. A lower divorce rate c. Increased car ownership. d. An increase in private school enrollment. e. Having children later A. abe B. ace C. bde D. bce 4. Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. The typical US family is expected to have three-story house with a big yard and two children. B. The US birth rate rose slightly in 2010 compared with two years before. C. A growing number of people are forced to share their homes with other relatives in the US. D. US students prefer to go to private schools rather than pubic schools. 5. Why do more and more Americans drive solo to work in recent years, according to the passage ? A. Because they don"t like carpool. B. Because more and more people are out of work. C. Because the share of people driving to work alone is increasing. D. Because the proportion of people aged 16-64 in unemployment dropped greatly. |