Having a husband means an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, getting married saves an hour of housework a week. “It’s a well-known pattern,” said lead researcher Frank Stafford at University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. “Men usually work more outside the home, while women take on more of the housework.”
He points out that differences among households (家庭) exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. “And the situation gets worse for women when they have children.” Stafford said.
Overall, times are changing in the American home. In 1976, women busied themselves with 26 weekly hours of sweeping-and-dusting work, compared with 17 hours in 2005. Men are taking on more housework, more than doubling their housework hours from six in 1976 to 13 in 2005.
Single women in their 20s and 30s did the least housework, about 12 weekly hours, while married women in their 60s and 70s did the most – about 21 hours a week.
Men showed a somewhat different pattern, with older men picking up the broom more often than younger men. Single men worked the hardest around the house, more than that of all other age groups of married men.
Having children increases housework even further. With more than three, for example, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands’ 10 hours.
1.According to the “well-known pattern” in Paragraph 1, a married man ________.
A. takes on heavier work
B. does more housework
C. is the main breadwinner
D. is the master of the house
2.How many hours of housework did men do every week in the 1970s?
A. About 28 B. About 26 C. About 13 D. About 6
3.What kind of man is doing most housework according to the text?
A. An unmarried man.
B. An older married man.
C. A younger married man.
D. A married man with children.
The Maldives faces the threat of extinction from rising sea levels, but the government said on Thursday it was looking to the future with plans to build homes and a golf course that float.
An increase in sea levels of just 18 to 59 centimeters would make the Maldives -- a nation of tiny coral islands in the Indian Ocean -- virtually uninhabitable by 2100, the UN’s climate change panel has warned.
President Mohamed Nasheed has vowed a fight for survival, and last month he signed a deal with a Dutch company to study proposals for a floating structure that could support a convention centre, homes and an 18-hole golf course. “It is still early stages and we are awaiting a report on the possibility,” a government official said.
The company, Dutch Docklands, is currently building floating developments in the Netherlands and Dubai. There was no immediate comment from the firm but its website said it undertook projects that make “land from water by providing large-scale floating constructions to create similar conditions as on land”.
The Maldives began work on an artificial island known as the Hulhumale near the crowded capital island of Male in 1997 and more than 30,000 people have been settled there to ease congestion. The city, which has a population of 100,000, is already protected from rising sea levels by a 30-million-dollar sea wall, and the government is considering increasingly imaginative ways to combat climate change.
Nasheed, who staged the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting in October to highlight his people’s dilemma , has even spoken of buying land elsewhere in the world to enable Maldivians to relocate if their homes are flooded. He has also pledged the Hulhumale to turn his nation into a model for the rest of the world by becoming “carbon neutral” by 2020. His plan involves ending fossil fuel use and powering all vehicles and buildings from “green” sources.
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. The Maldives plans to build floating homes for the rising sea level.
B. The Maldives’s president signed a deal with a Dutch company.
C. The Maldives staged the first underwater cabinet meeting.
D. The Maldives is considering ways to fight against the global warming.
2.Which statement is true about the Hulhumale?
A. The Hulhumale is a natural island near the capital of Male.
B. The Hulhumale is an artificial island to be built near the capital.
C. The Hulhumale was built in 1997 and has settled over 30,000 people.
D. The Hulhumale is protected by a 30-million-dollar sea wall.
3.According to the passage, the underlined word congestion means _______.
A. being endangered B. being crowded
C. being flooded D. being disappearing
4.Which of the following is NOT Nasheed’s idea?_______
A. To purchase land elsewhere in the world to help Maldivians to relocate if their homes are flooded.
B. To make his nation a model for the rest of the world by becoming “carbon neutral” by 2020
C. To stop using fossil fuel and power all vehicles and buildings from “green” sources.
D. To build more artificial islands for people to settle there.
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children．On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special．
However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington．A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909．Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her．It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices（牺牲） and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man．Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910．
In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day．Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died．
When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card．Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental（伤感的）．Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them．Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child need Dad．
1.The United States is special in Father’s Day because ______．
A．many people celebrate the day B．only America celebrates the day
C．America makes it an official day D．all men are honored in America
2.At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______．
A．Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday
B．Sonora’s birthday was June 19
C．it was decided by the president at that time
D．her mother died on June 19
3.How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?
A．4 B．10 C．14 D．24
4.According to the passage, we can infer that Henry Jackson Smart ______．
A．was very kind to anyone
B．was the first father honored in 1924
C．did a lot for his daughter
D．always help others by giving money
Are you nervous about climbing because you think it's too dangerous? Do you feel you're not fit enough to climb? Do you know how to start climbing?
Let's consider the idea that climbing is dangerous．Being afraid is natural, but if you use suitable ropes and other climbing equipments you will feel completely safe．Climbers are usually very careful because they know what they are doing is dangerous．Accidents happen, but when they do, they tend to attract a lot of publicity．As a result, people think there are many more accidents than there are in reality．
You cannot expect to start climbing straight away．Climbing is a challenge and challenges take time．It is necessary first of all that you achieve a good level of fitness．Begin as soon as you become interested in climbing? go to the gym, go swimming, take up jogging and continue to do so throughout your training period．
Discover as much as you can about climbing．Visit the library and find book, especially for beginners or buy climbing magazines and look for articles which describe your situation．Look up information on the Internet．Find out about equipment, methods and places to go．
Next, take a course on a climbing wall．There are plenty of climbing walls all over the country which have trained and qualified people as instructors．Call your local leisure centre to find out if there is one in your area. These training sessions are a quick way to get experience and you are likely to meet other beginners. After this, you can do an outside course of join a club where you can meet climbers of all abilities and eventually join in group-climbing events.
At first you may not understand the importance of a good training period, but after you have completed your first climb and you are standing safely at the top of a rock feeling thrilled, then you will know it was the right thing to do.
1.The article is written by .
A．a doctor B．an experienced climber
C．a beginner D．a fitness instructor
2.The writer thinks a new climber should .
A．begin by becoming fit
B．have the courage to meet the challenges
C．be aware of the causes of the accidents
D．do enough sports to get interested in climbing
3.By climbing walls you can .
A．join a club you like
B．gain controlled experience
C．become qualified instructors
D．take part in group-climbing events
4.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably means .
A．the climb B．the training C．the equipment D．the achievement
The old woman was wandering in the shop. She was ____36 ___; her clothes were torn; she gave off a strong _____37____ of alcohol (酒精) and cigarettes; most of her teeth were ______38__. The image of a miserable person(可怜人) _____39____ before me.
She stopped and asked me for_____40_____. I gave her some change and invited her to lunch. She ______41____, so we went across the street to an outdoor cafe. The waitress was _____42____ by the presence of this woman and didn't want to serve us, but _____43____ herself. The old woman had the lunch so _____44____ that the food disappeared almost as soon as it arrived.
When we were ready to leave, I was feeling pretty _____45____ about myself and then she asked for a _____46____. It was then that I had to face all the _____47____ bias (偏见) I had for this woman. I gave her a passing type of hug (应付差事的拥抱), ______48___ I immediately felt shame. She ______49___ me for lunch and began to leave.
I stood there for a moment and _____50____ I had failed to give this woman the one thing that ____51_____ nothing —love. I caught up with her and asked if I could give her a _____52____ hug and she agreed. I got past the strong smell and gave her the best hug I've ever given to _____53___ .Now I saw a big smile on her face and it lit my path as we ____54____.
The lesson I learned was that if you're going to _____55___, then give it your all and get it right the first time.
1.A. brave B. shy C. attractive D. dirty
2.A. sense B. skill C. smell D. message
3.A. staying B. missing C. growing D. shaking
4.A. appeared B. fell C. changed D. existed
5.A. advice B. gifts C. greetings D. money
6.A. doubted B. agreed C. escaped D. refused
7.A. moved B. questioned C. shocked D. frightened
8.A. allowed B. forced C. warned D. admired
9.A. quickly B. hardly C. freely D. easily
10.A. funny B. cold C. strange D. good
11.A. cigarette B. hug C. coffee D. smile
12.A. serious B. mentioned C. false D. hidden
13.A. but B. so C. though D. because
14.A. praised B. paid C. thanked D. returned
15.A. realized B. dreamt C. forgot D. wondered
16.A. cost B. lost C. deserved D. earned
17.A. friendly B. real C. special D. popular
18.A. myself B. her C. anyone D. nobody
19.A. separated B. met C. rested D. stood
20.A. take B. experience C. charge D. give
—Oh, I failed in the exam.
—_______.You still have chance.
A. Take your time B. Don’t lose heart
C. Don’t lose your heart D. No pains, no gains
