Most Americans believe that someone isn’t grown-up until the age of 26 and they should complete their education, have a full-time job, have a family to support and be financially independent. They also believe that becoming a real grown-up is a process which begins at about the age of 20 and takes about five years, according to the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.
The findings are based on a representative sample of 1,398 people over the age of 18 who were surveyed in person. The survey found that people expect the transitions （过度,转变）to grown-up status to be completed at the following ages: age 20.9 self-supporting; age 21.1 no longer living with parents; age 21.2 having a full-time job; age 22.3 education completed; age 24.5 being able to support a family financially; age 25.7 getting married; and age 26.2 having a child.
“There is a large degree of agreement across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions,” said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only obvious pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family, having children and getting married. Older adults consider these more important than younger adults do. This probably shows in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values. The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, is completing education, followed by full-time employment, supporting a family, financial independence, living independently, and marriage.
1.According to the first paragraph, someone is a grown-up when he _______.
A. has found a full-time job
B. has finished his study in university
C. can make money and support himself after completing his education
D. can support a family and be financially independent after graduation
2.A young man of 24 may be busy ________.
A. finding a job B. finding a girl friend
C. making money D. preparing for his wedding
3.From the passage, we learn that _________.
A. being grown-up is just a matter of age
B. being grown-up is a process which takes some time
C. all people think completing education means being grown-up
D. the survey found everyone had a different view about being grown-up
4.The best title for the passage should be “________”
A. It takes a long time to grown up.
B. Are we grown-up yet?
C. Getting married means being grown-up.
D. Completing education means being grown-up.
If you see someone drowning, speed is very important. Once you get him out of the water, if he isn't breathing. you have four minutes before his brain is completely destroyed. Support his neck, tilt(倾斜) his head back and press his chin upwards. This stops the tongue blocking the airway in the throat and is sometimes enough to get him breathing again. If that doesn't work, start mouth-to-mouth breathing. Press his nostrils鼻孔) together with your fingers. Open your mouth and take a deep breath. Blow into his lungs until his chest rises. then remove your mouth and watch his chest fall. Repeat twelve times a minute. Keep doing until help arrives.
To bring a child to life. keep your lips around his mouth and nose and gently blow into his mouth. Give the first four breaths as quickly as possible to fill the blood with oxygen, If, in spite of your efforts, he stars turning a blue-grey colour, you can feel no pulse, then pressing is the last chance of saving his life.
With arms straight, rock forwards, pressing down on the lower half of the breastbone. Don't be too hard or you may break a rib. Check how effective you are seeing if his colour improves or his pulse becomes independent to your chest pressing. If this happens, stop the pressing. Otherwise continue until rescue arrives.
1.This passage is mainly about_______ .
A. how to save people out of the water
B. how to give first aid to people who are drowning
C. how to do mouth-to-mouth breathing
D. how to save a child from a river
2.Once you get a drowning man out of the water, if he isn't breathing, you must first____
A. get him breathing again
B. take him to the nearest hospital as soon as possible
C. find someone to help you
D. call the First Aid Centre
3.In the last paragraph, the word "rescue" means_____.
A. breath B. help C. doctor D. pulse
4.If the drowning boy has no pulse, _______.
A. pressing his chin upwards is enough to get him breathing
B. blowing air into his mouth is sure to save his life
C. pressing his nostrils together with your fingers can work
D. pressing is the last chance of saving his life
5.Which of the following statements is true. ____.
A. If a man does not breathe for four minutes, his brain will be completely destroyed.
B. If you see someone drowning, you must give him mouth-to-mouth breathing.
C. Don't stop pressing his chest, if the drowning man starts breathing again.
D. When pressing, you can do it as hard as you can.
There are many stereotypes( 定型 ) about the character of people in various parts of the United States. In the Northeast and Midwest, people are said to be closed and private. In the South and West, however, they are often thought of as being more open and hospitable . Ask someone from St. Louis where the nearest sandwich shop is, and he or she will politely give you directions. A New Yorker might eye you at first and after deciding it is safe to talk to you, might give you a rather unexpected explanation. A person from Georgia might be very kind about directing you and even suggest some different places to eat. A Texan just might take you to the place and treat you to lunch.
American stereotypes are abundant. New Englanders are often thought of as being friendly and helpful. Southerners are known for their hospitality and warmth. People from the western part of the United States are often considered very outgoing. These differences in character can be traced to different factors such as climate, living conditions, and historical development.
When travelling from place to place, Americans themselves are often surprised at the differing degrees of friendliness in the United States.
1.The main idea of the passage is _____________.
A. even Americans are surprised at the differences among themselves
B. there are many differences in character in different parts of the USA.
C. there are many reasons for the differences
D. stereotypes about people are not necessarily true
2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. New Yorkers are usually open with strangers.
B. People from the South are usually considered good
C. The friendliest Americans travel from place to place.
D. Different parts have different customs and habits.
3.The differences lie in the following except ______ of the parts.
A. the weather B. the history C. geography D. the names
4.The word "abundant" in the second paragraph may probably mean _________.
A. plentiful B. normal C. curious D. strange
Have you ever heard anyone say “It’s raining cats and dogs”? It means “It’s raining hard!”
But sometimes cats and dogs do drop from the sky! Here’s how it happens.
Not so long ago, a country far away had many large rats. The people there said, “ We need cats!” So cats were sent to them by airplane. But the country had many mountains. It was hard for an airplane to land. So the cats came down by parachute(降落伞). Did the cats like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are still catching rats!
In another country far away, there is snow the year around. People sometimes got lost in it.
“We need big dogs!” the people said, “The dogs could find people lost in the snow. The dogs could help bring them home. Where can we get big dogs?”
A man across the sea had big dogs to sell. “I will send dogs to you,” he said. “ I have some very big ones. They can find people lost in the snow.”
He sent the dogs by airplane.
But the airplane did not land in the snow. The dogs came down by parachute ---- you guessed it !
Did the dogs like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are well and happy.
They find anyone who gets lost in the snow. Then they help him get home. Good dogs!
Remember it, so you can say, “ Yes, it does rain cats and dogs sometimes. They came down by parachute!”
1.The underlined word “ it” In Paragraph 2 refers to __________.
A．the weather
B．the saying “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
C．the saying “It’s raining hard.”
D．the fact that real cats and dogs drop from the sky.
2.Cats and dogs drop from the sky because ______.
A．there are many mountains in the country.
B. it snows the year around in the country.
C. was hard for a plane to land in the two countries.
D. coming down by parachute could save money.
3.The main purpose of the passage is to _________________.
A．tell the readers cats and dogs do drop from the sky
B．tell the readers of a new meaning about an old saying.
C．show cats and dogs are our good friends.
D．show parachute is an important
My grandfather was a teacher. He was the headmaster of a school for boys between thirteen and eighteen. I know that he was a kind and gentle man at heart, because when I was young, he gave me presents, and seated me on his knee, and told me stories. But I believe the boys at his school were afraid of him.
At school, when he walked into a room full of noisy boys, there was silence at once. When he looked at a boy with a certain look in his eyes, the boy went red in the face, and looked down at his shoes. If a boy brought him poor, careless work that was not the best the boy could do, my grandfather would pick up the boy’s book and throw it across the room, shouting, “Do it all again, and bring it back to me in the morning!” If the boy was late, or if he forgot to bring the work, he had to do it again, and again, and yet again. My grandfather never forgot.
He was a very different man at school from the man I saw day by day in his own home.
1.I knew my grandfather was kind and gentle, because _________
A．he was a teacher.
B．he let me sit on his knee and told me stories.
C．he told me stories about how kind he was
D．he was the headmaster of a school
2.When he looked at a boy in a certain way, the boy ________
A．went red and could not return my grandfather’s look
B．looked back at my grandfather’s red face
C. looked at his shoes to see if they were dirty.
D. went red in the face because his shoes were dirty.
3.When he received poor work, my grandfather _______.
A．would become very angry.
B．threw the work on the floor, and shouted across the room
C．threw the book at the boy.
D．went red in the face
4.He was a different man at home because ________.
A．he didn’t get angry at home as he did at school.
B．he was not as gentle at home
C．he didn’t throw books about at school like he did at home
D．he did not get angry at home.
My name's Jim Shelley and I'm an addict(有瘾的人）… ... With these words I began to_1__the problem,the problem of my telephone addiction.I used to call people_2___, from the moment I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I__3__to be phoned, I wanted to phone, Just one more call. It started socially --a few calls each day. It seemed__4___, just a quick chat Gradually though, the __5__got worse.Soon it was__6___use, until,finally, addiction. And it began to affect my__7__. During the day I would disappear for___8__call. If I couldn't make a call, I spent the whole time waiting for the phone to ring. Getting more and more__9___, in the end, I would ring someone, then someone lelse, __10___myself just one more call. I was phoning people and__11__messages to make sure__12___calls would see me through the day.I used to arrive at friends'homes and before the door was closed,go straight for the phone with the___13___"Is it OK if I just use the phone...?"At work, I became__14___when my fellow workers tried to__15___me from using the phone. And one day I hit my boss(with the phone).finally the police caught me___16___a phone box that had take my last one pound coin, and I was__17___to see a psychiatrist(心理医生. I haven't__18__a phone in the house for three weeks now, and it's several days__19___I used a phone box.. I try not to watch TV because there are__20___people on it mading phone calls.My name is Jim Shelley and I am an addict.
1.A.face B.find C.accept D.notice
2.A.now and then B.all the time C.at home D.at work
3.A.tried B.asked C.waited D.invited
4.A.polite B.inportant C.fine D.special
5.A.condition B.situation C.result D.effect
6.A.frequent B.regular C.unusual D.particular
7.A.friends B.study C.family D.work
8.A.a quick B.a secret C.an expected D.an extra
9.A.hopeful B.delighted C.frightened D.anxious
10.A.forcing B.telling C.giving D.limiting
11.A.leaving B.taking C.passing D.recording
12.A.long B.immediate C.enough D.surprising
13.A.saying B.demands C.with D.words
14.A.careful B.mad C.determined D.helpless
15.A.save B.reduce C.protect D.stop
16.A.destroying B.using C.stealing D.emptying
17.A.offered B.guided C.ordered D.reminded
18.A.missed B.had C.received D.fixed
19.A.as B.when C.if D.since
20.A.always B.just C.more D.different
