Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow. While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union. Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families.
Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to (＝before) marriage. Not only do the prospective(预期的) marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings. Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider.
As for any family， the basic ingredient(成分) of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual(相互的) respect. However， love alone is not enough. Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily.
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success. Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit. Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved. Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully.
By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent(矛盾的) loyalties， lingering(持久的) hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams. The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable. However， there are ways to confront(面临) and resolve them. For example， support groups and professional counselors(法律顾问) are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming(压倒性的).
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly. It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort. Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily. Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection.
1.According to the passage， there are in the United States.
A.no stepfamilies
B.more stepfamilies than ever before
C.fewer stepfamilies than ever before
D.fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones
2.Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？
A.The pursuit of the same careers.
B.Professional interventions(干涉).
C.The development of special interests.
D.Careful planning before the marriage.
3. Many people believe that contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily.
A.everlasting loyalties
B.open communication
C.kindness and mutual respect
D.persistent(持久稳固的) affection
4. It is natural for a stepfamily to be .
A.unrealistic
B.complicated
C.ambivalent
D.guilty
5.According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is .
A.impossible
B.satisfying and rewarding
C.discouraging and frustrating
D.a difficult and trying experience
The history of nomenclature (命名) in Britain is so old that no one knows the beginning of the story. Since written history began， people have had names. It is therefore impossible to do more than guess at how the earliest given names were chosen. Most names appear to have had some sort of original meaning， usually descriptive， rather than being simply a pleasing collection of sounds.
These descriptive names developed both from nouns and adjectives. The Irish Gaelic people used descriptive nouns and adjectives which were meaningful. Early in prehistory some descriptive names began to be used again and again until they formed a name pool for that particular culture. Parents would choose names from the pool of existing names rather than invent new ones for their children.
With the rise of Christianity (基督教)， Christians were encouraged to name their children after the holy people of the church. These early Christian names can be found in many cultures today， in various forms. The pool of names in use in England changed basically after the Norman came in 1066. Then French names of Germanic origin became popular within three generations. As a result names like Emma， Matilda， Richard， and William， became common in English nomenclature. At the same time a few Old English names， like Edward and Alfred remained because they were names of holy people or kings； others were kept because they were used with slight changes by Germanic names from the Normans like Robert.
Surnames developed from bynames， which are additional ones used to differentiate people with the same given name. These bynames fall into particular patterns. These started out as specific to a person and were taken down from father to son between the twelfth and sixteenth century. The noble usually used taken-down surnames early or the peasants did so later.
1.We can infer from the text that .
A.the first given names had not any actual meanings
B.people probably had names when there was no written language
C.the history of nomenclature is shorter than written history
D.names began to be used long after there was written language
2. The underlined word “they” (in Para.3) refers to “ ”.
A.Old English names B.other names
C.names of Germanic origin D.names of holy people
3.According to the text， which of the following statements is TRUE？
A.Robert is a Germanic name from the Normans.
B.Church didn’t encourage nomenclature used in the church.
C.Names like Emma and William were the most popular in 1066.
D.Names like Edward and Alfred were French names of Germanic origin.
4. Give the right order of surname development in history.
(a)People used bynames to differ people with the same given names.
(b)People chose given names from the pool of existing names.
(c)Bynames started out as specific to a person.
(d)Surnames became popular with common people.
(e)Surnames were taken down from father to son in noble families.
A.b-a-e-c-d B.a-b-c-d-e C.a-b-c-e-d D.b-a-c-e-d
5. Which group of words can best describe the development of British nomenclature？
A.Additional， Particular and Various
B.Meaningful， Christian and Foreign
C.Descriptive， Meaningful and Germanic
D.Old English-styled， Christian and Original
Further education is officially described as the“post-secondary stage of education， comprising all vocational(职业的) and non-vocational provision made for young people who have left school， or for adults”. Further education thus embraces the vast range of university， technical， commercial， and art education and the wide field of adult education. It is this sector of education， which is concerned with education beyond the normal school-leaving ages of 16 or 18， that has experienced the most astonishing growth in the number of students.
In the 19th century the dominance(统治地位) of Oxford and Cambridge was challenged by the rise of the civic(城市的) universities， such as London， Manchester， and Birmingham. Following the lead of the 18th century German universities and responding to a public demand for increased opportunity for higher education， Britain’s new civic universities quickly acquired recognition—not only in technological fields but also in the fine and liberal arts.
Many new post-school technical colleges were founded in the early 20th century. The Fisher Act of 1918 empowered the local authorities to levy(征收) a rate (tax) to finance such colleges. The universities， on the other hand， received funds from the central government through the University Grants Committee， established in 1911 and recognized in 1920， after World War I.
A new type of technical college was established in the 1960s—the polytechnic， which provides mainly technological courses of university level as well as courses of a general kind in the arts and sciences. Polytechnics are chartered to award degrees validated(使有效) by a Council for National Academic Awards.
Thus， the third level in the United Kingdom is made up of colleges of further education， technical colleges， polytechnics， and universities. The colleges offer full-time and part-time courses beyond compulsory-school level. Polytechnics and universities are mainly responsible for degrees and research. The innovative Open University， with its flexible admission policy and study arrangements， opened in 1971. It uses various media to provide highly accessible and flexible higher education for working adults and other part-time students. It serves as an organizational model and provides course-materials for similar institutions in other countries.
Changes in British education in the second half of the 20th century have， without changing the basic values in the system， extended education by population， level， and content. New areas for expansion include immigrant cultural groups and multicultural content， the accommodation of special needs， and the development of tools and content in the expanding fields of microelectronics.
1.The first paragraph is written to explain of further education.
A.the development B.the history
C.the definition D.the prospects(前景)
2.The new civic universities in Britain .
A.replaced the dominance of Oxford and Cambridge
B.provided further education for all the people who need it
C.met the increased demand of the public for higher education
D.immediately followed the establishment of polytechnic colleges
3.Post-school technical colleges .
A.were completely free of charge
B.were usually financed by local taxes
C.depended mainly on students’ tuition(学费)
D.received funds from the central government
4. Further education is .
A.only for adult students
B.part-time rather than full-time
C.non-vocational rather than vocational
D.created for both young people and adults
5.The proper title for this passage should be “ ”.
A.British Further Education
B.Changes in British Education
C.Polytechnics and Universities in Britain
D.Less Opportunity for Higher Education
Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.
On November 2nd San Francisco became the first major US city to pass a law on controlling give-away toys with unhealthy restaurant meals marketed at kids.
1.______law will take effect on December 1， 2011. It is required that kids’ meals
2.
meet certain nutritional standards 3. they can be sold with free toys.
McDonald’s officials were angry with the decision，4. effectively bans their popular Happy Meals.
But supporters say5. aims to promote healthy habits while combating child obesity(肥胖). “This is a challenge to the restaurant industry to think about children’s health first，” said San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar.
About 15 percent of American 6. are overweight or obese， which puts them 7. risk of developing heart disease， cancer， etc. In some states， the childhood obesity rate is over 30 percent.
McDonald’s started to sell the Happy Meals in 1979 with toys. In 2006， fast-food companies spent more than $520 million on advertising and toys to promote meals 8. children， according to the US government.
Many people now think that teachers give pupils too much homework. They say that it is 36 for children to work at home in their free time. 37 ， they argue that most teachers do not 38 plan the homework tasks they give to pupils. The result is that pupils have to 39 tasks which they have already done at school.
Recently in Greece， many parents 40 about the difficult homework which teachers gave to their children. The parents said that most of the homework was a waste of time， and they wanted to 41 it. Spain and Turkey are two countries which stopped homework recently. In Denmark， Germany and several other countries in Europe， teachers cannot 42 homework at weekends. In Holland， teachers allow pupils to stay at school to do their homework. The children are 43 to help one another. Similar 44 also exists in some British schools.
Most people agree that homework is not 45 . A pupil who can do his homework in a quiet and 46 room is in a much better position than a pupil who does his homework in a small， noisy room with the television on. Some parents help their children with their homework. Other parents take no 47 at all in their children’s homework.
1.A.unnecessary B.uninteresting C.unfortunate D.unimportant
2.A.Nevertheless B.However C.Therefore D.Moreover
3.A.considerably B.favorably C.properly D.pleasantly
4.A.finish B.repeat C.attend D.accomplish
5.A.quarreled B.puzzled C.explored D.complained
6.A.delay B.stop C.block D.prove
7.A.design B.draft C.do D.set
8.A.forbidden B.free C.desperate D.afraid
9.A.schedule B.mistake C.arrangement D.behavior
10.A.fair B.average C.balanced D.comparative
11.A.furnished B.expensive C.comfortable D.suitable
12.A.interest B.curiosity C.notice D.attention
—Are you glad that you came to Changsha？
—Yes，indeed. I going to Shanghai or Shenzhen， but I’ve never regretted my decision.
A.have considered B.am considering
C.had considered D.was considering
