You are from a middle-class family, and live in a normal-size home without any showy possessions, but you are surrounded by surprising consumption (消费). This contrast is beginning to bother your 6-year-old son. You are worried that he will want to live as they do, and wonder if you should move.
Sometimes big pocket money, joyful birthday parties, special playrooms and super-big houses tell you that your neighbors probably have more money than you do, and that they’re not as careful as you are with money, but you may find that they cook and dig in the garden with their children just as often as you do, talk with them as freely and read to them every night.
Or you may find that some of these parents stay in one wing of their big house while their child plays by himself, way off in a wing of his own. In that unfortunate case, he is basically growing up alone without being looked after properly, but this can happen to a child who lives in a normal-size horse, too, if he has a TV, a computer and a few video games in his room. Even the most caring parent doesn’t walk in and out of it to see what show her child is watching, what Internet site he has found and if he’s still playing that video game.
Too much uncontrolled screen time may lead to a certain loss of innocence (天真), but mostly this child will lose the sense of unity and satisfaction that comes from being in a family.
A neighborhood should also provide you with a sense of unity and satisfaction, and if it doesn’t, you might decide to move. Don’t judge your neighborhood too harshly (严厉地), though. There are some things that are right with almost any neighborhood and some things that are wrong with the best of them — like those super-big houses. The wealth of their owners — and the way they throw money around — may make your son feel sorry for himself, unless you help him understand that you and his dad save some of the money, give some to people who don’t have enough and use the rest to pay for whatever the family needs.
Children want — should be provided with — explanations when their patents don’t give them what they want .
1.What is the problem with the worried parent in the text?
A． Her house isn’t as big as her rich neighbors’.
B． Her son is left alone without anyone in charge.
C． She cannot provide her son with a special playroom.
D． She worries about the effect of her neighbors on her son.
2.In paragraphs 2 and 3, the author seems to agree that parents should .
A． spend more time with their children.
B． give their children more freedom.
C． work hard to lead a richer life.
D． set an example for their children to follow
3.By saying “throw money around” (paragraph 5), the author means that rich people .
A．spend money carelessly B．save money for their children
C．help the poor people willingly D．leave money all round the house
4.What is the main idea the author aims to express in the text?
A． Children are unfortunate to have poor parents.
B． Children should enjoy their comfortable life.
C．Children need proper guidance from their parents.
D．Children feel ashamed of themselves in a rich neighborhood.
Old Computers Make for Unhappy Workers — Survey
LONDON (Reuters) — Dealing with the dissatisfaction of ageing and unreliable office computers leads to workers’ unhappiness and more sick-leave, a survey (调查) showed on Wednesday.
A survey carried out by care4free.net of over 2,700 European office workers from the UK, France and Germany found that workplace dissatisfaction increased greatly with the age of computer equipment.
“We do know that job satisfaction is falling in Britain and in most advanced nations,”said Stephen White, a researcher from the Work Foundation. “The actual reasons for this are the subject of very heated discussion. It’s certainly one interesting theory that technology may be the cause of this in some way,” White added.
A quarter of those using outdated computers in Britain said they were “quite” or “very dissatisfied” with their everyday job compared to 16 percent of those who had enjoyed an advantage from up-to-date technology.
The survey also said that among workers dealing with outdated equipment, there was a 35 percent greater probability they would take six or mort days of sick-leave per year compared with the average worker. In France, where more workers use older computers, the probability jumped to 55 percent.
Results also showed that women in the three countries were more likely to be using outdated equipment. In the UK, where more workers have up-to-date computers than in the other counties surveyed, the number of women using old equipment doubled that of men.
White pointed out that there were two sides to this problem, saying that continually having to deal with new technology and new equipment can also be a source of worry. “Old and faulty equipment is a major cause of office dissatisfaction, there’s no question about it, but you also have to say that the frequent change of equipment is also, or could be, a main cause of dissatisfaction.”
1.The underlined word “this” (paragraph 3) refers to .
A．workplace dissatisfaction B．computer use in most jobs
C．the ageing of office computers D．the survey by care4free.net
2.How many office workers using old computers in Britain expressed their dissatisfaction?
A．16% B．25%
C．35% D．55%
3.According to White, why were the women surveyed more likely to use old computers?
A． Most office workers use old computers.
B． They do some of their work with computers.
C． Dealing with new equipment can cause anxiety
D．They are easier to be satisfied with new technology.
4.What is the subject of this news story?
A． Poor working conditions in offices.
B． Research work of the Work Foundation
C． Influence of technology in the workplace.
D． Different attitudes to old computers.
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Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months’ preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers. Six months’ community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV/AIDS Fights and Teacher Training. Qualifications (条件)：18 years, hard-working and social engagement. Please contact us by email: takeaction@betterworld.com |
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Part-time Work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange student organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The Community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants (申请人) best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication, and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the U.S. Positions available in most states. If interested, please email: staff@youth.org or call 88-123-9872.
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International Summer Job Hi, I’m an ESL student in China. I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I am looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work, and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a job? I don’t need to earn much , just enough in 2 months (July — August) to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is: ram3462@hotmail.com |
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Call for Native Speakers of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don’t need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me, then please email me: club3864@hotmail.com |
1.Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
A． One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries.
B． One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases.
C． One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English.
D． One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program.
2.Where will Jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
A． In some local offices in the U.S.
B． In an ESL organization in China.
C． In a preparation program in Denmark.
D． In an exchange student center in Africa.
3.If Mrs. Black in the U.S. hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact .
A．takeaction@betterworld.com B．ram3462@hotmail.com
C．club3864@hotmail.com D．staff@youth.org
4.What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
A．To interview people online. B．To do some housework.
C．To offer advice on Child Aid. D．To provide language exercises.
It’s 2035. You have a job, family and you’re about 40 years old! Welcome to your future life.
Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror. “Turn red,” you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny preprogrammed electronics (智能电子元件) are rearranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe you’re 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live lo be 150 years old. You’re not even middle-aged!
As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear, “To lose weight, you shouldn’t eat that,” from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code (电子源码) on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. “Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?” A list of possible foods appears on the counter as the kitchen checks its food supplies.
“Ready for your trip to space?” you ask your son and daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space — and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacations. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, “The doctor said you need these for space travel.” Thanks to medical advances, vaccination shots (防疫针) are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head the front door.
It’s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. “My office, Autopilot,” you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video film rather than read it.
1.What changes the color of your shirt?
A．The mirror. B．The shirt itself.
C．The counter. D．The medicine.
2.How do the shoes know that you shouldn’t eat the breakfast cereal?
A． By pouring the breakfast into a bow.
B． By listening to the doctor’s advice.
C． By testing the food supplies in the kitchen.
D． By checking the nutrition details of the food.
3.The strawberries the children eat serve as .
A．breakfast B．lunch
C．vaccines D．nutrition
4.How is the text organized?
A．In order of time B．In order of frequency
C．In order of preference D．In order of importance
Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket — anything with a round ball, I was useless,”he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At fist he went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then be began to ride the bike along with a runner friend, Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength. At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland where he learned about Ridgeway’s cold-water exploits. Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures then decided that this would be his future.
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition (探险) towards the North Pole. It took unbelievable energy. He suffered frostbite (冻疮)，ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply-loaded sled (雪橇) up and over rocky ice.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man. His old playmates would not believe the change.
Next October, Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900-kilornetre journey that has never been completed on skis.
1.What changes happened to Saunders after he was 15 years old?
A．He became good at most sports. B．He began to build up his body.
C．He joined a sports team. D．He made friends with a runner.
2.The underlined word “exploits” (paragraph3) is closest in meaning to .
A. journeys B. researches
C. adventures D. operations
3.Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Saunders?
A. He ran his first marathon. B. He skied alone in the North Pole.
C. He rode his bike in a forest. D. He planned an adventure to the South Pole.
A．acdb B．cdab C．adbd D．cabd
4.What does the story mainly tell us about Saunders?
A．He is success in sports. B．He is the best British skier.
C．He is Ridgway’s favorite student. D．He is a good instructor at school.
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和Ｄ）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
One man was to meet his wife downtown and spend some time shopping with her. He waited
1for 15 minutes. Then he waited impatiently for 15 minutes more. After that, he became 2. When he saw a photograph booth (照相亭) nearby, he had 3. He wore the most unhappy expression he could manage, which was not 4in the situation. In a few moments he was holding four small prints that 5even him.
He wrote his wife’s name on the back of the photos and handed them to a 6behind the desk in the booth. “ 7you see a small, dark lady with brown eyes and an apologetic expression, obviously 8someone, would you please give her this?” he said. He then 9his office in Morrison Building, 10that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the four photos must be a good 11! He sat down with a smile.
His wife 12those pictures. She carries them in her purse now and shows them to anyone who asks if she is married…
How are you with 13? One person calls it “wait training.” It seems that there is always something we are 14. We wait on traffic and we wait in lines. We wait to hear about a new job. We wait to complete school. We wait for someone to charge his or her mind.
Patience is an important 15of a happy and rewarding life. 16, some things are worth waiting for. 17presents many opportunities for wait training.
We can hate waiting, 18it or even get good at it! But one thing is 19— we cannot avoid it. How is your 20coming along?
1.A. proudly B. respectfully C .patiently D. curiously
2.Ａ. angry B. hungry C. frightened D. thirsty
3.A．a question B. a reason C. an opinion D. an idea
4.Ａ. serious B. difficult C. regular D. convenient
5.Ａ. hurt B. encouraged C. attracted D. shocked
6.Ａ. clerk B. secretary C. passer-by D. friend
7.Ａ. Since B. Before C. As D. If
8.Ａ. looking for B. working for C. sending for D. paying for
9.Ａ. called up B. returned to C. visited D. left
10.Ａ. worried B. disappointed C. satisfied D. surprised
11.Ａ. description B. preparation C. excuse D. lecture
12.Ａ. tore B. saved C. developed D. destroyed
13.Ａ. your wife B. your family C. patience D. determination
14.Ａ. hoping for B. waiting for C. ready for D. fit for
15.Ａ. lesson B. experience C. purpose D. quality
16.A. For example B. After all C. Right now D. So far
17.Ａ. Every age B. Every shop C. Every day D. Every office
18.Ａ. accept B. control C. change D. improve
19.Ａ. certain B. interesting C. precious D. easy
20.Ａ. photo taking B. job hunting C. decision making D. wait training
