Where Are We Going, Dad? presents a new generation of men, in a break from Chinese tradition, now take an active role in their children's lives.
Five star fathers and their children travel around China, riding camels through the western deserts, fishing off the east coast, and selling vegetables for their bus fare home in remote southwestern Yunnan province. One dad doesn’t know how to do his daughter’s hair, but give him a couple of days — he’ll figure it out. Another one must survive with his son for three days in the desert, where, because neither can cook, the two only eat instant noodles.
These story lines are part of Where Are We Going, Dad? which, since its first show in October, has become one of China’s most popular television shows, covering more than 600 million viewers each week. And searches for Where Are We Going, Dad? turn up over 40 million hits on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter.
“In traditional Chinese culture, the common conception of parenthood is that the father is strict and the mother is kind. But on the show, we see fathers who are much gentler on their kids and more concerned with their upbringing,” said Li Minyi, an associate professor of early childhood education at the leading Beijing Normal University. “An important question arises in this show for modern Chinese society — what is the role of fathers in today’s China?”
“As they raise their children, parents are growing up at the same time,” said Wang Renping, a popular education expert, in an interview with the Qianjiang Evening News. “They cannot use parenting styles from 20 years ago to guide the development of children born 20 years later.”
The attraction of Where Are We Going, Dad? lies in the chance to have a close look at the lives of popular Chinese stars and their children. Audiences fancy watching the failed attempts of star dads making dinner, braiding hair(编头发), and disciplining children — tasks often left to mothers in a society still influenced by the opinion that “men rule outside and women rule inside.”
1.From the passage, we can draw a conclusion that Where Are We Going, Dad? is .
A. a TV showB. a novel C. a match D. a news report
2.In Where Are We Going, Dad, we can probably learn about .
A. how the fathers do housework at home
B. how the children study in their spare time
C. how the fathers look after and guide their children
D. how the children help their father with their travel around China
3.Which of the following is RIGHT according to the passage?
A. In modern society, men should not care too much about their kids.
B. Where Are We Going, Dad has the most number of viewers in China.
C. In Chinese tradition, fathers always play an active part in their children’s lives.
D. While they bring up their children, parents are improving their parenting styles.
4.The reason why Where Are We Going, Dad is so popular in China may include the following EXCEPT that .
A. audiences enjoy laughing at others’ failure in life
B. it can make people laugh and think at the same time
C. people love watching the stars and their children’s lives closely
D. it presents a new generation of men’s role in their children’s lives
How many of us have heard that question, "Where was GOD when the World Trade Center(世贸中心) and the Pentagon(五角大楼) were attacked?" Well, I know where my GOD was the morning of September 11, 2001, and He was very busy!
He was trying to discourage anyone from taking these flights. Those four flights together held over 1000 passengers and there were only 266 aboard.
He was on 4 commercial flights giving frightened passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the family members who were called by a loved one on one of the hijacked(被劫持的) planes said that passengers were screaming in the background. On one of the flights he was giving strength to passengers to try to overtake the hijackers.
He was busy trying to create obstacles(阻碍) for employees at the World Trade Center. After all, only around 20,000 were at the towers when the first jet hit. Since the buildings held over 50,000 workers, this was a Miracle in itself. How many of the people who were employed at the World Trade Center told the media that they were late for work or they had traffic delays.
He was holding up 2-110 story buildings so that 2/3 of the workers could get out. I was so amazed that the top of the towers didn't fall when the jets crashed. And when they did fall, GOD made them fall inward, as many more lives would have been lost.
So when anyone asks, "Where was your GOD on September 11," you can say "everywhere"! And yes, although this is without a doubt the worst thing I have seen in my life, I see God's miracles in every bit of it. I can't imagine going through such a difficult time and not believing in GOD – life would be hopeless. So shines a good deed in a weary world!
1.In what way the author tried to prove his point in the passage?
A. By telling a story. B. By giving examples.
C. By answering questions.D. By performing experiments.
2.Which one of the following is TURE according to the passage?
A. There were three planes together hijacked in the attack.
B. The passengers on the planes were not frightened at all.
C. Many people working at WTC were delayed by traffic jams on Set. 11.
D. Many more people were killed in the buildings than we could imagine.
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “Miracle” in the context?
A. something funnyB. something important
C. something reliableD. something unbelievable
4.Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?
A. Everyone has a GOD.
B. Where was the GOD?
C. Never forget September 11.
D. September 11 – A Disaster To America.
The airline lost your baggage. The hotel laundry(洗衣房) ruined your favorite shirt. The taxi driver overcharged you. When you're abroad, sometimes things go wrong. Now you can do something about it! Use these tips when you want to express an effective complaint in English.
No matter how unfair the situation, it's best to phrase your complaint politely. In English, you'll sound more polite if you use indirect language. Here are some examples:
“I'm sorry to bother you...” Starting a complaint like this puts the listener who may have heard many complaints that day at ease. Use this phrase if the situation isn't that serious. For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted a baked potato, not fries."
“Can you help me with this?” Everyone would much rather be asked to do something than told! So try phrasing your complaint as a request for help: "Can you help me with this? My shirt came back from the laundry without buttons."
“I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” This is a polite way of saying, "Your information is wrong. Please fix it now." You'll most likely use this phrase if you made reservations(预定) for a flight, hotel or restaurant, and when you arrive, it's not what you expected. For example, "I'm afraid there may be a misunderstanding. I requested a non-smoking room."
“I understand it's not your fault...” Often when you make a complaint, you deal with a person who was not directly responsible for the problem. But the problem isn't your fault, either! This phrase is helpful when you need swift action. Tell the person you're dealing with you understand they're not at fault and then directly state the problem: "I understand it's not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday."
“Excuse me, but I understood that...” Using this phrase lets the person know you're well-informed and are suspicious they might be trying to take advantage of you. Don't say, "Hey! You're trying to cheat me!" Instead, start indirectly by stating what you know to be true: "I understood that the taxi ride to the airport was only 25 dollars." Then give them an opportunity to do the right thing.
1.What’s the purpose of this passage?
A. To give an introduction of life abroad.
B. To give suggestions on how to learn English.
C. To offer advice on giving complaints in English.
D. To offer guides to those who travel around the world.
2.According to the passage, if we meet an unfair situation, we’d better .
A. state our complaints politely
B. go for the police immediately
C. use indirect language to hurt people
D. fight against the one who is responsible
3.Why should we start a complaint with polite phrases?
A. Because the situation is never serious.
B. Because the listener may not speak English.
C. Because it can help solve the problem more easily.
D. Because we should be always in good manners abroad.
4.Several effective complaints in English are mentioned above EXCEPT .
A. “Can you help me with this?”
B. “I understand it’s not your fault.”
C. “Hey! You’re trying to cheat me!”
D. “I’m afraid there may be a misunderstanding.”
Nelson Mandela was a figure of international fame, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are four things you may not have known about the late South African leader.
1. He was a boxing fan.
In his youth, Nelson Mandela enjoyed boxing and long-distance running. Even during the 27 years he spent in prison, he would exercise every morning. "I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was curious by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match," he wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
2. His original name was not Nelson.
Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher at the primary Methodist school where he was studying in Qunu, South Africa, gave him an English name “Nelson” in accordance with the custom to give all school children Christian names.
3. He forgot his glasses when he was released from prison.
Mr. Mandela's release on 11 February 1990 followed years of political pressure against apartheid(种族隔离). Mr. Mandela's reading glasses stayed behind in prison Mr. Mandela and his then-wife Winnie were taken to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge and exciting crowd. But when he pulled out the text of his speech, he realized he had forgotten his glasses and had to borrow Winnie's.
4. He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree.
Mr. Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. A two-year diploma(学位证书) in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practice, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He kept on studying hard to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Nelson Mandela’s life in the prison.
B. The achievements of Nelson Mandela.
C. Nelson Mandela’s hobbies and career.
D. Unknown things about Nelson Mandela.
2. Why did Nelson Mandela love boxing?
A. Because he wanted to be a boxer.
B. Because he enjoyed the violence of boxing.
C. Because he appreciated the strategy in boxing.
D. Because he had nothing else to do in the prison.
3.What happened to Mandela when he was about to give the speech?
A. He broke his glasses into pieces.
B. He had to use his wife’s glasses.
C. He left his own glasses at home.
D. His wife wanted to borrow his glasses.
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Nelson Mandela was not his original name.
B. Nelson Mandela was the name given by his teacher.
C. Nelson Mandela had been studying the law nonstop for 50 years.
D. Nelson Mandela had started his own law firm before he got a law degree.
My father was a St. Bernard (圣伯纳犬), and my mother was a collie (科利牧羊犬). This was what my mother had told me. I did not know these nice differences myself. My mother like to say them and see other dogs look surprised and jealous(嫉妒的), wondering how she got so much education. But, indeed, it was not real education.
She got the words by listening in the dining room and the sitting room when there were people talking, and by going with the children to school and listening there. Whenever she heard a word showing great knowledge, she said it to herself many times so that she could keep it until there was a meeting in the neighbourhood. Then, she would show off her knowledge and surprise them all, from small-sized dogs to large-sized dogs.
If there was a stranger being doubtful and getting his breath to ask her what it meant, she always explained to him in detail. He had never expected this but thought he would make fool of her. However, in the end, he was the one who was fooled. The others knew what was going to happen, because they had experienced that. When she explained the meaning of a big world, no dogs doubted if it was right. It was natural, because, for one thing, she answered very quickly and confidently, and for another, there were no knowledgeable dogs pointing out the answer was wrong.
When I was older, she brought home the word, “unintellectual”, and worked on it very hard all the week at different meetings. It was at this time that I realized she made up a fresh meaning of the same word every time. It showed that she was more calm than knowledgeable.
(From A Dog’s Tale, by Mark Twain)
1.Why were other dogs jealous of “my” mother?
A. Because her child was not a dog.
B. Because “my” mother knew everything.
C. Because they knew nothing about “me”.
D. Because they thought “my” mother was educated.
2.Where did “my” mother learn the words?
A. She made up the words by herself.
B. She learnt the words studying at school.
C. She listened and memorized when others were talking.
D. She attended meetings to learnt the words from other dogs.
3.How could “my” mother always fool other dogs?
A. Other dogs all liked to be fooled.
B. She could explain anything in detail correctly.
C. She learnt a lot of tricks to make fool of others.
D. Other dogs were not knowledgeable enough to find out her mistakes.
4.What words can be used to describe “my” mother?
A. friendly and cleverB. calm and confident
C. quick and experiencedD. devoted and knowledgeable
One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town claiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered, and they all his heart for it was perfect.
Suddenly, an old man appeared and said, "Why, your heart is not as beautiful as mine!" The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was full of . It had places where pieces had been and other pieces put in, but they didn't quite right. In fact, in some places whole pieces were .
The young man laughed, "Compared with your heart, mine is perfect and yours is a ." "Yes," said the old man, "Yours looks perfect but I would never swap with you. You see, every scar(伤疤) represents a person to whom I have given my . I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, often they give me a piece of their heart that fits into the place in my heart. So the scars have me remember the love we . Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't a piece of his or her heart to me. These are the empty — giving love is taking a chance. Although , they stay open. So now do you see what true is?"
The young man walked up to the old man, his perfect heart, and tore a piece out. He it to the old man. The old man placed it in his , then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the young man's heart. The young man looked at his heart, not perfect but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart into his.
How sad it must be to go through life with a whole untouched heart!
1.A. appreciated B. dislikedC. hatedD. broke
2.A. nearly B. hardlyC. honestlyD. widely
3.A. items B. scarsC. detailsD. tips
4.A. formed B. addedC. designedD. removed
5.A. feel B.fitC. sinkD. calm
6.A. amazing B. willingC. missingD. boiling
7.A. joke B. trapC. successD. goal
8.A. opinion B. powerC. voteD. love
9.A. so B. butC. orD. and
10.A. perfect B. emptyC. entireD. equal
11.A. wanted B. spentC. sharedD. ignored
12.A. lent B. returnedC. expressedD. left
13.A. holes B. boxesC. roomsD. seats
14.A. hopeful B. gratefulC. painfulD. peaceful
15.A. beauty B. angerC. mercyD. surprise
16.A. went through B. reached into C. gave upD. watched over
17.A. employed B. packedC. rewardedD. offered
18.A. pocket B. heartC. bagD. mind
19.A. over B. onceC. anymoreD. apart
20.A. flowed B. bentC. escapedD. burst
