Fun is, in fact, a word heard far more frequently in families today than in the past, when "duty'' and "responsibility" were often the words used.
Parents today are more youthful in appearance and attitudes. Their clothes and hair-styles are more casual, helping to bridge the divide. Those who are athletically inclined also enjoy Rollerblading, snowboarding, and rock-climbing with their children.
For the past three years, Kathy and Phil Dalby have spent at least one evening a week at a climbing gym with their three children. "It's great to be able to work together," Mrs Dalby says. "We discuss various climbs and where the hard parts are. Sometimes that leads to other Conversations. We're definitely closer."
A popular movement of parent effectiveness training in the 1970s has helped to reshape generational roles. The philosophy encourages children to describe their feelings about various situations. As a result, says Robert Billingham, a family-studies professor at Indiana University, "Parents and children began talking to each other in ways they had not before."
On the plus side, he adds, these conversations made parents realize that children may have important thoughts or feelings that adults need to be aware of.
But Professor Billingham also sees a downside: Many parents started making decisions based on what their child wanted. "The power shifted to children. Parents said, 'I have to focus on making my child happy', as opposed to 'I have to act as a parent most appropriately'."
Other changes are occurring as the ranks of working mothers grow. Time-short parents encourage children's independence, making them more responsible for themselves. "They'll say, 'We trust you to make the right decisions' (whether they're ready to assume the responsibility or not) ,"says Billingham.
The self-esteem movement of the past quarter-century has also affected the family dynamics (原动力). Some parents worry that if they tell their child no, it will hurt the child's self-esteem.
1.What's the trend in parent-child relationship mentioned in the passage?
A．Parents are chasing after fashion and ignoring the feelings of their children.
B．More parents and children are sharing the same enthusiasm for a certain sport.
C．Parents are taking more responsibility and setting more limits for their children.
D．The generation gap is narrowing and parents are respecting their children's thoughts more.
2.Which of the following has NOT contributed to the change in the parent-child relationship?
A．Younger parents. B．Parent effectiveness training.
C．More working mothers. D．The self-esteem movement.
3.What's Billingham's attitude towards parents who make children more responsible for themselves?
A．He supports them. B．He admires them.
C．He disagrees with them. D．He thinks they're unreasonable.
4.What will probably be discussed following the last paragraph?
A．The effect of more working mothers on children' s education.
B．The benefits of the new relationship between parents and children.
C．The importance of self-esteem and ways to develop children's self-esteem.
D．The risks of setting no rules and some suggestions on how to have a balanced attitude.
5.What's the best title for the text?
A．Parents and Children as Friends. B．Parents and Professors as Debaters.
C．Growing Mutual Understanding. D．Disappearing Responsibility.
Tayka Hotel De Sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $95 a night
Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim．Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床垫) and blankets)．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat．Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries．When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $240 a night
Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure．As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read．You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet Willyis a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly．Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side．You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a ffew steps of the loft(阁楼）in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose．Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant (消防栓）outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.
Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash．But your stay will be much more modern．Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer．(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)
1.What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?
A．It is located on a prehistoric lake.
B．It should be protected against the rain.
C．Everything in the hotel is made of salt.
D．You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel.
2.What is the similarity of the four hotels?
A．Being expensive. B．Being comfortable. C．Being natural. D．Being unique.
3.What does the underlined part “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A．The name of the hotel.
B．The name of the hotel owner.
C．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.
4.Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
A．Tayka Hotel De Sal B．Green Magic Nature Resort
C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel
5.What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?
A．To show his wide knowledge. B．To introduce some interesting hotels.
C．To develop business in tourism. D．To attract attention from the readers.
Birthdays often involve surprises. But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake. This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like. "It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one," said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery.
The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the "Flower portrait"— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death. The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture. These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814. Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.
"We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840. This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays," Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator (馆长), told the Associated President.
The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays. It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
"There have always been questions about the painting," said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company. "Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture."
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation (调查) and the results will come out later this month._________________
1.What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?
A．It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609.
B．The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake.
C．Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one.
D．It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840.
2.Which statement is True according to the passage?
A．Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable.
B．"Flower portrait " was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower.
C．1814 might be when the portrait was drawn.
D．The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play.
3.How many methods were used to test the portrait?
A．Not mentioned. B．Two C．Three D．At least four.
4.The best title for this passage is _________.
A．Birthdays often involve surprises
B．The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare
C．One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake
D．How can we know Shakespeare's appearance?
5.Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?
A．Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable.
B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare.
C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more.
D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery.
I always long for romantic moments, like a little girl longing for candies．However, my husband is my complete 1 . His inability to bring romantic moments into our life has made me get tired of our 2 . One day, I finally told him that I wanted a divorce.
“Why?” he asked, 3 .
“I am tired; there are no 4 for everything in the world!” I answered.
He kept 5 , seeming to be in deep thought, with a lighted cigarette in his hands. Finally he asked, “What can I do to change your 6 ?”
Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered, “Let’s say, I want a flower on a mountain cliff and picking the flower will cause your 7 . Will you do it for me?”
He answered, “I will give you my answer tomorrow.”
I 8 the next morning, finding a piece of paper on the dining table, which read: “My dear, I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to 9 .”
My feeling of disappointment only 10 , but I continued reading:
“You always leave the 11 keys behind, so I have to save my legs to 12 home to open the door for you. You always like to stay indoors and I 13 that you will feel too lonely, so I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories. You always stare 14 the computer and that will do nothing 15 for your eyes, so I have to save my eyes so that when we grow 16 , I can help to clip your nails. Thus, my dear, 17 I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do, I could not pick that flower yet, and die.”
My tears fell on the 18 and I continued reading:
“Now that you have finished reading my answer, if you are 19 , please open the front door for I am standing outside 20 your favorite bread and fresh milk.”
Love, not words, wins arguments.
1. A．supporter B．opposite C．follower D．advocate
2. A．marriage B．connection C．career D．future
3. A．annoyed B．shocked C．frightened D．amused
4. A．results B．signs C．causes D．reasons
5. A．easy B．normal C．silent D．calm
6. A．habit B．feeling C．attitude D．mind
7. A．death B．injury C．happiness D．trouble
8. A．hurried up B．looked up C．woke up D．went up
9. A．love B．explain C．stay D．change
10. A．arose B．disappeared C．reduced D．increased
11. A．car B．office C．bicycle D．house
12. A．leave B．walk C．rush D．get
13. A．worry B．think C．believe D．remind
14. A．at B．to C．on D．in
15. A．bad B．good C．terrible D．important
16. A．weak B．ill C．old D．close
17. A．unless B．if C．since D．because
18. A．photos B．flowers C．floor D．letter
19. A．hungry B．thirsty C．satisfied D．regretted
20. A．buying B．bringing C．heating D．catching
After the Arab States won independence, great emphasis was laid on expanding education, with girls as well as boys _____ to go to school.
A．encouraging B．being encouraged C．be encouraged D．to be encouraged
When you go by train, please see to it_______ you take an express, _______ that stops only at big stations.
A．that, one B．/, the one C．that, it D．/, it
