Holidays are really important． Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways．
But holidays are expensive and， for those on low wages or living on benefits， they are often unobtainable． Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet．
For working parents， the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare． When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks， there is a need to spread this across the year． Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday． For some， this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult．
The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment． The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day． Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support． Schools also have an important role in safeguarding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils． During the long summer holidays， much of this is missed．
While teachers are holidaying in the UK， many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live． The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning．
In setting out its plans for a five-term year， Nottingham City Council （委员会） is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down to four and a half weeks， with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks， each followed by a two-week break． We believe this will give real "down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning．
We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff， particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities． However， this must be weighed against the benefits for city children for whom we all have the greatest duty of care．
1.The passage is probably written by ________.
A. an experienced teacher B. a working parent
C. an inspired student D. a city council member
2.The underlined word "they" in the second paragraph refers to "________".
A. environments B. holidays
C. wages D. benefits
3.The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students ________.
A. obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs
B. get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school
C. benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment
D. have more school days to receive free school meals
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. working parents can enjoy a five-week break to care for their children
B. the suggested plans for a five-term school year can hardly be carried out
C. the long summer holiday gives teachers and students real "down time"
D. some school staff will say "No" to the plans for a shorter summer holiday
One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual． In 1879， Oxford University in England asked Prof．James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language． It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations （引文） showing how it was used．
This was a huge task， so Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain， the United States， and the British colonies to search every newspaper， magazine， and book ever written in English． Hundreds of volunteers responded， including William Chester Minor． Dr． Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England． He gave his address as "Broadmoor， Crowthorne， Berkshire，" 50 miles from Oxford．
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray． Over the next 17 years， he became one of the staff's most valued contributors．
But he was also a mystery． In spite of many invitations， he would always decline to visit Oxford． So in 1897， Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself． When he arrived， he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum （精神病院） for the Criminally Insane．
Murray and Minor became friends， sharing their love of words． Minor continued contributing to the dictionary， sending in more than 10，000 submissions in 20 years． Murray continued to visit Minor regularly， sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds．
In 1910， Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America． Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920， seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed． The 12 volumes defined 414 825 words， and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient．
1.How did Dr．Minor contribute to the dictionary?
A. He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers．
B. He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray．
C. He provided a great number of words and quotations．
D. he went to England to work with Murray．
2.Which of the following best describe Dr．Minor?
A. Brave and determined. B. Cautious and friendly.
C. Considerate and optimistic. D. Unusual and scholarly.
3.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. The history of the English language．
B. The friendship between Murray and Minor．
C. Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary．
D. Broadmoor Asylum and its patients．
If Confucius（孔子）were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake，there would be a lot of candles．He'd need a strong wind to help him put them out．
While many people in China will remember Confucius on this special day，few people in the United States will give him a passing thought．It's nothin g personal．Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius．In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．
In the past two decades，the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities．More recently，the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries．These schools teach both Chinese language and culture．The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art，history and philosophy（哲学）．Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks（缺点） of Westerners philosophy．Students in the United States，at the same time，are racing to learn Chinese．So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States．Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers．
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well．
Today China attracts the West more than ever，and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．
As for the old thinker，he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West，even if his birthday is．
1.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ______
A. provide some key facts about Confucius
B. attract the readers'i nterest in the subject
C. show great respect for the ancient thinker
D. prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
2.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students ______
A. have a great interest in studying Chinese
B. take an active part in Chinese competitions
C. try to get high scores in Chinese exams
D. fight for a chance to learn Chinese
3.What is t he best title for the passage？ ______
A. Forgotten Wisdom in America B. Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C. Chinese Culture for Westerners D. Old Thinker with a Big Future
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
After study for hours, I went outside and up to the roof nearby for a break and watched people cwimming in the sea. It was a sunny day—a blue, cloudless sky over a calm sea. But then, as I looked in the distance. I discovered a series of three or four big waves heading towards the shore. I’d seen these mini-tsunamis (小型海啸)many times before. They were heading at speed in the direction of the swimming area. Most people knew to look out for them, but from the screams that started coming from the beach, I could tell someone was in trouble.
Without thinking, I ran down into the street, holding my bodvboard (冲浪板)on the way and shouted at a stranger to call the coastguard(海岸警卫).My neighbor Tom had heard the screaming as well and was also outside with his bodyboard, so togetlier we rushed to the steps that led down to the sea.
Once we got closer, we discovered the waves had pulled a bov and a girl into the open sea. I knew that the nearest boat would take at least 30 minutes to reach us. I wasn’t used to this sort of emergency—I’d never been trained as a lifeguard—but I didn’t think twice about trying to save them. I suppose in a way I wanted to impress everyone; at 19, a deal like that can seem like a good opportunity to show off.
Tom and I dived into the water and it took us 10 minutes to get to them. When we finally reached them, they were almost lifeless with only their heads coming in and out of the water. We could tell they were still alive from their small breaths but it was clear they wouldn't have been able to stay there much longer. I held the boy and pulled him over my board. Tom then moved the girl onto his board.
Paragraph 1:
We discussed pushing them back to the shore, but we were too far out.
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Paragraph 2:
That night, word came from the hospital that the two kids were in good condition.
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假定你是校英文报主编李华。由于英文报规模扩大,现急需招聘一名助理编辑。请你以“An English Editor wanted”为题用英语写一则招聘启事。内容包括:
1. 职位描述；
2. 应聘要求；
3. 联系方式。
注意:1. 词数80左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
As is known to all, a positive parent-child relationship is 1. (benefit) to the physical and mental2. (grow) of children, but keeping a healthy parent-child bond 3. (need) the efforts of both parties.
Parents should take the responsibility 4.(improve) their relationship with the children. What matters is spending quality time with their children, 5.tight their schedule is. For instance, they can eat 6.(meal) together, go to sporting events together or watch their children's favorite TV shows together, 7. can contribute greatly to making their children feel safe and 8.(love). Children, on the other hand, should let their parents know they appreciate what their parents 9.(do) for them. If possible，they can give their parents a gift on a special day or help with housework 10. a regular basis.
No healthy parent-child relationship is without conflict. But as long as parents and children make a joint effort, they can settle the conflict and enjoy their time together.
