It is the first school that teaches us right and wrong. It is our dearest place that protects us from danger. It is our f 1. .
This year marks the 20th anniversary of International Year of the Family， which offers us a window to look into families in the E 2. and West.
Usually， we think families are just parents and children. But the structure are different in different cultures.
In many A 3. countries， extended families (大家庭) are common. In some big cities， families usually have three generations (一代人) living in the same house. When parents are busy with work， grandparents help to do housework and take care of the children.
While in most W 4. countries， many people prefer nuclear families (核心家庭)： families that have only parents and children. During the daytime， working parents send their children to their grandparents’ home or a daycare center. And after work， they pick the children back up and go home. Some families are even DINK (double income， no kids). According to a 2010 Pew Research report， one in five American c 5. don’t want a child.
In addition to structure， responsibility(责任)of parents to their children can also be d 6. .
In China， many parents look after their children all the way into adulthood. It’s normal for parents to p 7. children’s college tuition (学费). After graduation， many parents also help find a job for their children， or buy an apartment for them.
In Western countries， however， children are supposed to be independent (独立的)after they r 8. the age of 18. Most parents will not pay their children’s tuition. Young people mostly have a part-time job or turn to the g 9. for help to cover their tuition. After graduation， if they can find a job， parents usually won’t cover most of their cost of living any m 10. .
Although families in the East and West may differ， it is the best place to warm us and teach us important values of love and care.
Trees should be pruned(修剪)when it is necessary. A good gardener will cut away the overgrown and unwanted branches(树枝). They can make the trees more beautiful and healthier. But sometimes we’d better leave the trees to grow in their own way. Because the inexperienced gardeners will damage(毁坏) the trees.
First， pruning may be done to make sure that trees in good shape or size. Maybe people want to get a tree of the right height and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches. Then people can make the tree’s appearance thick or give it a special shape.
Secondly， pruning may be done to make the tree healthier. You may cut out diseased or dead branches. The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up (封闭)the center and so stopping the free movement of air.
One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy chance for disease， but the wound will heal(愈合). Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die， so that there is a period when the tree is in danger. Every gardener should try to reduce that danger of death as soon as possible. It is important to make the area， which has been pruned， smooth and clean， because healing will be slowed down by roughness(粗糙). You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then pain it with one of the special materials. Pruning is usually done in winter， because you can see the shape of the tree clearly and also it is very unlikely(未必的) that the cuts you make will bleed. If this happens， it is impossible to paint them properly.
Pruning trees | |
A good gardener prunes a tree when it is 1. | |
2. for pruning trees | First， make the trees in 3. shape or size. |
Second， make the trees 4. | |
One 5. of pruning trees | An open wound is 6. on the tree and this 7. an easy chance to disease. |
Reduce the danger of the tree’s 8. | Make the wound 9. and clean. |
The danger of the death of a tree | Paint the wound 10. it dries. |
Why is Denmark(丹麦) the “kingdom of fairy tales”? Because it was the home of famous writer Hans Christian Andersen. But there might be other reasons， says a new study.
Denmark is the happiest country in the world， according to the 2013 World Happiness Report by the United Nations (UN). The report ranks（排列）156 countries and regions (地区). All the top five happiest countries are from Europe， and three of them are from Scandinavia.
What makes people there happy? The UN considered several reasons.
Money is one. We are happy if we have money to cover our necessities. But extra (额外的) money cannot bring us more happiness. People in Northern Europe know this. From cars to mobile phones， from clothes to buildings， their designs are quite simple. Luxury (奢华) is not there.
Another reason is health. Nordic (北欧的) people have a healthy diet. They love fresh food. “There is not a big fast-food culture and no ready meals. We sit down with our families to eat our meals，” said Trina Hahnemann， a Danish cook.
A harmonious (和谐的) social life also makes us happy， according to the UN report. How about Nordic people? They live in harmony not only with people around， but also with nature. Night life is not popular in Scandinavia. People go home after work for some quality（高品质的） time with family members. Many families have a backyard. Father and child spend hours there each week， planting flowers and building swings.
Do you want to be happy? Think about the Nordic lifestyle， and happiness is in your own hands.
回答下面5个问题，每题答案不超过7个词。
1.Where does Hans Christian Andersen come from?
2.How many countries of the top five happiest countries are from Scandinavia?
3.Do Nordic people love fresh food or ready meals?
4.What do father and child spend hours doing in their yard each week?
5.What can make people there happy according to the passage?
根据句意，用括号中所给单词的正确形式填空。
1.A large number of people ____________ (reply) to what the cruel murderer did since the news was covered on TV.
2.My brother fell while he ____________ (ride) his bicycle and hurt himself.
3.Thirty-eight people were killed after a big fire ____________ (break) out in a rest home in Henan Province on 25 May.
4.He is even __________(careful) than last time. So he makes fewer mistakes.
5.Dear Peter， you have grown up， and you can decide your future____________ (you)
根据句意及汉语提示，写出各单词的正确形式，每空一词。
1.China will celebrate the seventieth anniversary（周年） of the ___________(胜利) of the Great Patriotic War（反法西斯战争）this year.
2.The boy often helps his mother to ___________ （分开） the good apples from the bad ones.
3.The doctor advised me to get up and sleep at a ____________ (固定的) time， but I found it very hard.
4. He kept remembering English words every day though he was in his _________ (四十).
5.The heavy smog makes it more difficult for us to see traffic signs _________(清楚地).
Cats’ sense of smell is very important to their health. Many cat owners have seen a cat smell the food and refuses it. Careful sniffing( 嗅) tells the cat if something is safe to eat.
Cats have a pair of vomeronasal organs(犁鼻器) on the roof of the mouth. When the cat wants to sniff， she will breathe the air in through her mouth. At this moment， she will often squint(斜视) her eyes and maybe even flatten(使…平坦) her ears. This makes her look like she is making faces. The vomeronasal organs will then analyze(分析)the smell---almost as if the cat is tasting the smell.
When you come home from outside the house， your cat can smell what you had for lunch and for a mid-afternoon snack. She can smell the people you shook hands with and your neighbour you stopped to talk to and hug. She can smell the grass brought under your shoes as you took a shortcut across the lawn. Your cat’s sense of smell is so good that she can smell difference between a gallon of water with a teaspoon of salt in it and plain water. In comparison， we think of salt as completely tasteless.
Cats have scent glands(臭腺) on each side of the forehead， on the chin， the lips and next to the tail. When your cat rubs up against your hand， your leg， the sofa， and your bed， she is leaving her scent in those things. She will then use her sense of smell to recognize “her” things， people and even other pets in the home.
If you want to have fun with your cat’s sense of smell， take some small bits of different things， such as a bit of chicken， some flowers and some fish. Place each different scent under a piece of paper towel(so your cat cannot see any of them) and encourage your cat to investigate and find what kind of food she likes to eat best.
1.Cats know whether the food is fit to eat or not with their____________.
A. sense of touch B. scent glands
C. organs of smell D. sense of taste
2.The third paragraph was written mainly to prove that _____________.
A. cats are very smart
B. cats have a good sense as dogs
C. salty water has a special smell
D. cats’ sense of smell is excellent
3.What does your cat do when it rubs against your foot?
A. She puts her scent on it.
B. She shows respect to you.
C. She asks you to play with her.
D. She smells where you were just now.
4.What does the word “investigate” mean in the last paragraph?
A. Smell. B. See. C. Look. D. Send.
5.The passage mainly tells us _________________.
A. cats are one of our best friends
B. cats have sharp sense of smell
C. sense of smell is very important
D. cats know if something is safe to eat
