DEARAUNTYf
My husband’s niece is 13 and what I would call “a handful”. She wants to stay with us for while, and her mother and grandmother have told me what a great influence I would be on her. Her visit ，no doubt, would bring about a long list of demands’ and she’d want to bring a friend too. I don t feel comfortable hosting her, but I don 3r know how to tell my husband’s family members without hurting their feelings.
-Reluctant Aunt
Dear Reluctant,
Let’s get you out of this mess. Your husband’s family is making a request that borders on a demand and sugarcoating it with self-serving flattery (恭维）• Put your foot down, and tell the truth. Say you don’t feel equipped or comfortable hosting the little darling, and regretfully decline (拒绝).Under no circumstances should you take part in any discussion that attempts to change your mind through flattery.
DEAR AUNTY
have two stepdaughters, 21 and 24. On holidays, the older one always buys me gift but adds her sister’s name on the card. I feel insincere thanking the younger daughter -Vd rather get no gift than be a part of this pretence. Is it tacky (俗气)to ask the 24-year-old to stop giving her sister credit while it isn t deserved? Will the younger one ever learn to be thoughtful?
-Mindful Mum
Dear Mindful,
Lighten up! Your older stepdaughter is a considerate and generous sister who covers for and protects her younger sister. Good for her! The girls’ relationship is between them. As for your role, you can’t punish anyone into being thoughtful. You can, however, model thoughtful behavior. Spend some time with her, and get to know her better.
1.The underlined word “a handful” would probably mean a person who______
A.is difficult to deal with B.enjoys making friends
C.is easy to get along with D.gets easily influenced
2.AUNTY suggested that Reluctant Aunt______
A.kindly host the guest
B.discuss with her husband
C.politely turn down the request
D.try to meet all the demands
3.Which of the following is TRUE about the second case?
A.Mindful Mum is very proud of her two step daughters.
B.The two stepdaughters always buy Mindful Mum gifts.
C.AUNTY thinks the older sister should be punished.
D.The older stepdaughter cares for her sister.
4.In which section does the passage most probably appear in a magazine?
A.Entertainment. B. Advice. C. Health. D. Food &Recipes.
There is no doubt that Apple is well aware of the increased competition in the market and could be in a hurry to put another device out there, said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst at IDC Mobile Devices Technology and Trends. Given its history with product launches and business policy, though, Apple probably isn’t going to rush an iPhone release simply to put it on shelves, he said.
“If you’re Tim Cook (CEO of Apple), you’re thinking if you want to pay more attention to how to keep growing that bottom line and keep investors happy, or continue with the same approach from Apple, which is do what we can do and manage products and releases in the best way they can work for us. Apple usually does things in their own time ，and I’m having a hard time buying this May or June timeline.” Llamas told Mac News World.
While it，s probable that Apple is definitely in a testing stage for its next smartphone , consumers likely have a standard wait for the finished product, said Colin Gibbs, analyst at GigaOm Pro.
“It typically takes a year or longer to create a state-of-the-art smartphone, so no one should be surprised Apple is in the testing stages with the next iPhone. And while it’s possible that Apple could launch the next iPhone this spring or summer, I’m not expecting to see it until a little later in the year,” he told Mac News World.
When it does launch, though, it could be in a variety of colors, said Gibbs. “Apple has already tested the waters with releasing colored devices when it revamped(更新，翻新）its iPod line last fall, so it’s not too much of a stretch to believe it would want the new twist with its smartphone, as well”.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the new iPhone becomes available in some new colors，’’ he said. “That could be done pretty cheaply ，and it would give Apple a new marketing angle.”
1.According to Ramon Llamas, Apple always______.
A.tries to pleases its investors
B. does things as planned
C.ignores the fierce market competition
D. rushes to put new products to market
2.As for the next iPhone, Colin Gibbs didn’t mention______
A.the stage of its being tested
B.the rough time of its being released
C.the wide variety of its color
D.the function to be improved
3.What’s Colin Gibbs ，attitude towards the next iPhone?
A. Disapproving. B. Casual
C. Objective. D. Doubtful.
4.This passage is presented in the form of______.
A.stories B.comments C.advertisements D.debates
Tre’S mom，Christina Thompson, cannot believe how much her son already learned this year in his full-day, free pre-school class in Oklahoma City. “Since he’s been in school his vocabulary has increased surprisingly,” Thompson says. “The other day he came home and said, ‘You know what ，mom? You are being ridiculous，” Thompson laughs quietly. “And then he asked, ‘Do you know what ‘ridiculous’ means, mom?’” Tre knows the entire alphabet, his numbers to 100，and he’s starting to read. And letters and numbers aside, Thompson is most struck by how fast Tre is absorbing vocabulary and language.
Of course, not all pre-school is created equal. High quality pre-schools have well-trained, well-educated teachers in the classroom (much like Tre Thompson’s teacher Mrs. Wallace, who uses play-based learning to teach both academics and social skills and can rattle off (飞快说出） a battery of data on how well her students are progressing towards their year-end goals). Texas can also offer a model for educator development: its Texas School Ready! Campaign has proven to increase the quality of participating pre-schools by providing early childhood teachers with coaching, professional development, research-based curriculum (课程)，and progress monitoring. States and districts should also combine pre-school with the K-12 system, as Oklahoma does ，so that children enter kindergarten smoothly.
Oklahoma is one of the leading states in providing students like Tre with free ，full-day pre-school. And the results are already paying off: According to a 2012 study, Oklahoma kids that went through pre-school showed vocabulary gains 28% higher than those of children without pre-school, and math gains 44% higher than non-pre-school kids. And we know that high-quality pre-school doesn’t just mean higher scores in elementary school. They were more likely to have graduated from high school and less likely to have committed a violent crime. They also earned more money and were more likely to be employed.
We know pre-school works, so let’s stop talking and start building a system where all children have access to excellent early childhood education. As any well-educated four year old could tell us, not doing so would be ridiculous.
1.The case of Tre in the first paragraph serves as the evidence of______.
A.children’s disrespect towards parents
B.the bad performance of students at school
C.the positive effect of pre-school on children
D.Thompson’s doubt about her son’s education
2.At high quality pre-schools, children may learn by______
A. playing B. modelling C. researching D. monitoring
3.It can be inferred that______.
A.children can not enter kindergarten without pre-school
B.Oklahoma is the best state offering full-day pre-school
C.all pre-schools have well-trained, well-educated teachers
D.kids with pre-school may be better equipped for their future
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Not all pre-school works
B.All pre-school is created equal
C.We owe our kids universal pre-school
D.Pre-school goes well with K-12 system
Standing in the driveway, I watched my grown children drive off into the distance. I looked down the road until I could no longer see their 36 _____ .
“They live too far away from me,” I said to myself. “When did they 37 _____ and become parents of small children? 38 _____ that be me?”
I slipped back inside the house and just walked through the rooms for no reason 39 _____.1 was just missing them already and looking for 40 _____ of their having been here. There were pillows on the floor and a few stuffed (填充）animals 41 _____ around where the children had been playing.
I walked into the 42 _____ and there on the back of the sink was a bottle brush that had been left behind. “Ah，even Tessa left something behind,” I 43 _____ Well, I suppose she had help 44 _____ she was just four months old.
As I walked around the house, I picked up a few more 45 _____ on the floor — Tegan’S tooth, a pie pan, and the inside of a turkey fryer.
ttHmmm, things left behind ...’’I thought to myself. It seems there is one thing left behind on every 46 _____ . Memories are always left behind, I reasoned, and what a(n) 47 _____ thing good memories are to us. I thought how each item left behind 48 _____ me of the person it belonged to and the story 49 _____ it.
Memories happen even if we aren’t 50 _____ of it. The stressful and difficult moments often become memories that we 51 _____ later with laughter and joy. The memories of past hurts, bitterness, and anger, 52 . should be left behind 53 _____These are the things that we should never 54 _____ until the next time they come, mail back, or bring with us to 55_____next visit.
As Elizabeth Stone said, “To have a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
1.A. smiles B. vehicles C. pains D. bicycles
2.A. drop out B. break away C. set off D. grow up
3.A. Wouldn’t B. Shouldn’t C. Can’t D. Needn’t
4.A. in particular B. with anger C. with joy D. in return
5.A. signals B. atmosphere C. signs D. information
6.A. lying B. jumping C. moving D. looking
7.A. house B. distance C. kitchen D. driveway
8.A. announced B. explained C. complained D. replied
9.A. when B. unless C. until D. since
10.A. toys B. items C. memories D. treasures
11.A. table B. course C. occasion D. comer
12.A. funny B. private C. ordinary D. precious
13.A. reminded B. informed C. warned D. convinced
14.A. promoting B. surrounding C. acknowledging D. exposing
15.A. proud B.ashamed C. aware D. afraid
16.A. attach importance to B. throw doubt on C. look forward to D. look back upon
17.A. besides B.therefore C. otherwise D. though
18.A. partly B. sometimes C. forever D. unwillingly
19.A. present B. keep C. overlook D. experience
20.A. our B. their C. its D. your
—Do you understand the film Cloud Atlas, the most amazing one this year?
—_____, but I am confused at many scenes.
A. Not a little B. Yes, no problem
C. No，not at all D. Just sort of
Mistakes are a natural part of learning, and it is important not to let them our life.
A.spoil B.abuse C.overcome D.reflect
