A recent survey in the United States showed that the average family spent more money on its pets than on its children. Although rather shocking, it should not surprise anyone who has seen the doggy parlors(客厅) where loved pets rest. Are Americans unique in treating their little friends in this way? No, the English, too, pay more attention to their pets.
This can clearly be seen when we look at pet foods, which often contain more vitamins than human food. They certainly cost much. Last year the British public spent two hundred million pounds on pet food alone, to say nothing of veterinary bills or animal furniture. It is difficult not to feel angry about this when considering what the same amount could do for victims of starvation and poverty, so it is not unusual for me to get hot under collar when I read an old man left all his money to his dog instead of his children.
There are a variety of reasons why I find pets-raising alarming. They cause physical problems. An example of this is New York where they have great difficulty getting rid of the mess that dogs leave on the streets. Many people find this funny, but in a number of large cities it is a major problem. Animals can cause disease, too. It is the threat of rabies — a disease with no known cure.
Another problem is the carelessness of pet owners. Most little children want a dog or a cat, and they continually push their mothers and fathers until they get one. It is only when the "sweet little thing" has been brought home that the parents realize how much time and money must be spent on "Rover" or "Bonzo". Then they just abandon it. As a result, they are allowed to run free. English farmers lose hundreds of sheep a year, killed by someone's pet and you must have read of children being hurt by some pets of their own.
Lastly, I would only suggest that we have got our priorities wrong and that something should be done about it. In my view, it's time we stopped being sentimental about pets. I can see no reason why we should get upset when animals are cut up for medical experiments. This will lead us to discovering cures for serious human diseases, then I say, “keep cutting!”
1.The doggy parlors are mentioned in the 1st paragraph to show ________.
A. where Americans keep their pets
B. what costly lives the pets are living
C. why children love their pets so much
D. how much pets depend on their masters
2.In the second paragraph "to get hot under the collar" probably means ________.
A. getting quite hot B. feeling overwhelmingly angry
C. becoming excited D. receiving a fashionable shirt
3.According to the author, in which field can animals be most useful?
A. Pet. B. Food. C. Medicine. D. Sports.
4.What is author’s attitude towards pets-raising?
A. Pitiful. B. Neutral. C. Opposed. D. Supportive.
My family moved from Taiwan to a small town in central Georgia, where my dad got a visa for his family and a job. I had just learned English, and from what little I could gather from my classmates, Santa Claus would come down one’s chimney and put toys in one’s stocking on Christmas Eve! What a great country, I thought. After I looked up “stocking” in my Chinese-English dictionary, I knew what I had to do.
On that fateful night, after everyone went to bed, I took my longest, cleanest knee sock and attached it to a nail already on the mantel(壁炉). Obviously, the previous owners of this house were no strangers to this Santa character.
I woke up before everyone else on Christmas Day and ran to the fireplace. To make a sob story short, I was hit with the reality of an empty sock and the biggest lie ever told. I burst into tears, quickly took down the sock, and stuffed it in the back of a drawer. Santa was dead.
Every December since then, the topic of Christmas memories would unavoidably come up, and I would amuse my friends with my poor-little-me story. I had to make it as funny as possible, or else I would cry.
How could I know that Santa was just late? Nine years ago, on Christmas Eve, an older man with a white beard and a red cap knocked on my front door. He said, “I’ve been looking for you for twenty-five years.” He handed me a bulging red stocking, winked, and left. On top of the stocking was a card. It read: “For Becky—I may have missed you in the second grade, but you’ve always lived in my heart. Santa.”
Through tear-blurred eyes, I recognized the handwriting of Jill, a friend I had met just two months before. I later discovered that the older man was her father. Jill had seen the hurt little girl underneath the thirty-something woman and decided to do something about it.
So now I believe that Santa is real. I don’t mean the twinkle-eyed character of children’s mythology or the creation of American holiday marketers. Those Santas annoy and sadden me. I believe in the Santa Claus that live inside good and thoughtful people. This Santa does not return to the North Pole after a crazy delivery but lives each day purposefully, really listens to friends, and then plans deliberate acts of kindness.
1.What does the underlined part “what I had to do” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Waiting for Santa Claus.
B. Putting a stocking on the mantel.
C. Asking for gifts from her parents.
D. Looking up “stocking” in the dictionary
2.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s parents ________.
A. didn’t love their child at all
B. didn’t know the previous owners of the house
C. didn’t know much about Christmas tradition
D. didn’t have enough money to buy the author Christmas presents
3.When the author told her friends about the story, she felt ________ in her heart.
A. proud B. amusing C. hate D. regret
4.The author of the passage is probably ________.
A. a teenager B. a primary school student
C. a middle-aged woman D. a native American
假如你是李华，你的美国网友Jack目前正在一家孔子学院学习汉语，你们俩约定每周都给对方写一封信，他用汉语，你用英语，以期相互学习和帮助。最近你收到他发来的一封电子邮件，请你根据下列提示用英语给他写一封回信：
1. 表扬他的进步，并指出来信中的错误；
2. 给他一些改进的具体建议；
3. 你将发给他一篇游记，期待他对你的邮件进行回复。
注意：1. 词数：80-120；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Jack,
I’m just so glad to receive your regular letter. ___________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
短文中共有10处错误，错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧)，并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词的下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Yesterday I showed to my friend Peter around Beijing city．We started off at 8：00 a．m．First we went to the Forbidden City, which was one of the most popular tourist spot in Beijing．Then we visited the History Museum．We observed a lot of valuable things in them and we learned a lot about Chinese history．After a quick meal, we went to Beihai Park. Upon arrival, we were all struck by its beautiful scenes．We spent a whole afternoon appreciated the wonder．It was until 18:00 p.m．that we went back．We did have a wonderful time．Peter was very pleased with my arrangement that he invited me to a new-built western restaurant to have a big meal.
根据所给单词的首字母和汉语意思写出正确形式完成句子。
1.She is d________(专心于)to the job, leaving herself with very little free time.
2.The girl is an e __________(极度地) popular student in the class, because she is very kind.
3.I can't i________(想象) him living alone on the island.
4.Ten people died in the car accident, i________(包括)two children.
5.When he travels with his friends, his mother is always c__________ (关心) about his safety.
6.Thanks for your support and g__________(指导) in this job.
7.A large amount of rain forest is being d____________(摧毁) every day.
8.At last she was p__________（说服) not to buy clothes online.
9.At first I d__________(不同意) with his suggestion, but later I changed my mind and agreed.
10.Ellen is f__________(流利的) in both English and French, which gives her an advantage over others.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
“Equal pay for equal work” is a phrase by the American women who feel they are____1.___(fair) treated by society. They think it is not right for women to be paid less than men for the __2.__ amount of work. Some people say men have more duties than women. A married man has to earn money to support his family and make important decisions, __3._ it is right for them to be paid more. Some are even against married women _4.__(work)at all. When wives go out to work, they say, the home and children are given no attention _5.. If women are encouraged by equal pay to take up jobs, they will be able to do __6.___ they are best at doing,such as making a nice home and bringing _7._ children. Women who disagree say that they want to escape from the limited place which society wishes them to fill and have __8.freedom to choose between a job and home life __9._ a mixture of the two. As a matter of__10.__, women have the right not only to equal pay but also to equal chances.
