Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators (旁观者) in the lives of their children and shrug, "It' s their life," and feel nothing?
When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son' s head. I was asked, "When do you stop worrying?" A nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted (打断) the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, "Don't worry. They all go through this stage, and then you can sit back, relax, and enjoy them." My mother listened and said nothing.
When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring and the cars to come home, the front door to open.
My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my mother' s wan ( 淡淡的 ) smile and her occasional words, "You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home."
Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse? Or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life?
One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, "Where were you? I' ve been calling for three days, and no one answered. I was worried! ! !"
I smiled a wan smile.
1.What can we know about the author’s mother from the passage?
A. She seems to laugh at the author.
B. She is not concerned about the author.
C. She has a thorough understanding of the author.
D. She tries to give the author some encouragement.
2.What did the author do in her forties?
A. She was less concerned about her children.
B. She couldn't stop worrying about her children.
C. She would like her children to see her often.
D. She became more patient with her children.
3.Why did the author smile a wan smile at the end of the passage?
A. She wanted to learn from her mother.
B. She stopped worrying about her children at last.
C. She succeeded in tricking her children.
D. She got a kind of satisfaction from her child's concern.
4.The main purpose of the passage is to tell us that ______.
A. the concern between parents and children is natural
B. parents’ love for their children is selfless
C. parents show more concern for their children
D. parents will worry about their children all their lives
When the first spring flowers blossom, Easter comes. It is the oldest Christian feast, in memory of the resurrection (复活) of Jesus Christ.
Along with the traditional Easter walk or outing, the giving of Easter eggs and, more recently, of Easter presents is a main feature of the feast. Parents give their children “Easter eggs” – colored and boiled eggs, chocolate eggs, marzipan eggs – Easter bunnies, sweets, and other gifts. In some German regions, children virtually “collect” Easter eggs from their relatives, especially their godparents.
Usually, the Easter eggs are carefully hidden in the garden or in the house and the children must search for them on the morning of the Sunday. They are told that the Easter bunny has brought them. This anonymous, mysterious bunny is like Santa Claus at Christmas. But it is less of an “educational” figure than Santa Claus is, since the eggs are not given to children as rewards for being good.
Some Easter egg games have been preserved at certain places in Germany or have even been newly developed. Children try to outdo others in rolling colored eggs down grassy slopes, for instance, or they knock the eggs’ pointed ends together and the child whose egg does not shatter gets the broken one, too. In some places, this custom was even used as the name of local festival.
1.What are the main features of Easter?
A. Easter walk, Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and sweets.
B. Easter outing and the giving of Easter presents.
C. Easter walk, Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and Easter egg games.
D. Easter outing, the collecting of Easter eggs, and Easter games
2.The underlined word “outdo” means ________.
A. do better than B. do worse than C. do slower than D. do the same as
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Easter bunny will give gifts to children for better or worse.
B. Easter bunny is very similar to Santa Claus, as they both bring gifts to children.
C. Easter always falls on a Sunday.
D. Some of the local festivals are named by Easter egg games.
请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When we visit another country, differences in music and dance are 1some of the first things that we notice. Every culture has 2its own types of music and dance, which are very different from those of other societies.
Each type of music usually has a distinctive rhythm and a special sound, 3on the kinds of instruments that are used to produce it. The most common type of instruments are
4instruments, such as guitars and violins; wind instruments, including horns and flutes. Many different kinds of musical sounds 5be created by using different combinations of instruments.
The human voice is a very special kind of instrument, 6it can produce a great number of different sounds with different 7, ranging from loud to soft. Singing is very popular in most cultures because it allows us to 8words and ideas with music.
Societies coordinate body movements with musical rhythms to create 9. Sometimes people dance for fun and individual expression. Dances can also be used to 10ideas to an audience. Hawaiian dancers, 11, use arm and hand movements to express the meaning of a song. In the same way, many societies use dances in religious ceremonies 12to tell about important events.
Music and dance are passed from one 13to another and thus become a permanent part of the society and 14culture. Of course, as cultures come 15contact with each other, the music and dance of one society may be accepted by other societies, or the different styles may be combined to 16a new kind of music or dance. Some Latin American music, for example, has taken 17from Indian cultures and mixed them with those from European and African cultures. 18, popular music from England and the US can be heard in countries 19the world, 20it has had an influence on musical tastes, especially among young people.
1.A. unlikely B. probably C. likely D. surely
2.A. installed B. developed C. meant D. established
3.A. depending B. relying C. playing D. resting
4.A. thread B. cord C. string D. band
5.A. can B. might C. must D. should
6.A. when B. since C. after D. although
7.A. heights B. sizes C. volumes D. tones
8.A. express B. explain C. provide D. compose
9.A. sounds B. songs C. dances D. moves
10.A. give B. perform C. translate D. communicate
11.A. for example B. such as C. that is D. on the contrary
12.A. just B. as C. or D. only
13.A. country B. people C. generation D. time
14.A. their B. the C. form D. its
15.A. to B. into C. for D. with
16.A. join B. show C. become D. form
17.A. advantages B. styles C. features D. origins
18.A. However B. On the contrary C. Besides D. Similarly
19.A. over B. across C. through D. along
20.A. where B. when C. which D. what
― Have you ever talked to your fiancée about the wedding yet?
― No, I’d like to, ______.
A. indeed B. yet C. anyway D. though
I went to bed early, but I left my bedroom lamp on ______ my parents think I _______.
A. making; would study B. to make; was studying
C. to make; had studied D. making; had been studying
― I'm afraid I have to give it up.
― Don't be discouraged. Remember ______ sticks to his work will succeed one day.
A. those who B. who C. whoever D. whomever
