Our lives were supposed to be more flexible and family-friendly thanks to the technology at our fingertips. But in this age of BlackBerrys, recession (经济衰退) pressures, working at home after hours and on weekends, family time may not be working out the way we thought.
Busy parents who expected more time with the kids are finding that more work hours at home don't necessarily translate into quality time with them.
A new generation of parents needs to discover the meaning of "quality time," researchers say. “Personally, just given the life I lead, I think there is something to this idea of quality time— spending productive time with children instead of just being around,” says Peter Brandon, a professor at Carleton College. He says engaging or interacting with a child in activities such as reading or playing counts as quality time rather than "passive monitoring," such as washing the dishes while the child is watching TV.
“This time with children pays off,” Brandon says. He notes that good parent—child relationships result in children being happier and more successful, including at school.
As parents struggle to be more available to their kids, new research on work and family schedules to be presented Friday at the meeting in Dallas includes a study that shows parents' availability is on the decline because more parents are in the workforce. Although parents today may be spending more time on child care, they are less available overall.
Working parents who spend less time with their children should try to make sure the time they do spend is communicating with them instead of doing the dishes or spending more time on themselves, Brandon says “The trade-off is not necessarily taking away time from your kid,” he says "You’d better take away time from other things.”
1.The first paragraph mainly intends to tell us that .
A. technology lets parents work at home
B. parents are satisfied with their work
C. technology makes our lives much easier
D. the family time is not always satisfying
2.We can learn from the third paragraph that .
A. some families are not experiencing quality time
B. it's enough for parents to stay with their children
C. parents enjoy engaging in work-at-home activities
D. working hours at home can transform into quality time
3.According to Brandon, the quality time means_________.
A. just, being around with children
B. work time is separate from family time
C. spending instructive time with children
D. letting the children do whatever they want to do
4.The underlined sentence “This time with children pays off ”means .
A. the time with children is of little value
B. the time with children costs quite a lot
C. the time with children leads to good result
D. the time with children has a bad effect on them
5.According to the new research on work and family schedules to be presented at the meeting in Dallas, what leads to the declining of parents’ availability ?
A. Because parents don’t know the meaning of “quality time”.
B. Because parents are unwilling to care about their children.
C. Because parents are under the great recession pressures.
D. Because more parents today are busy at their work.
6.What will the author most probably talk about in next part of the passage?
A. How to spend more time at home
B. How to do the dishes in a proper way.
C. How to spend more time on working at home.
D. How to take away time in a much proper way.
Holding a cell phone against your ear or storing it in your pocket may be dangerous to your health. This explains a warning that cell phone manufacturers include in the small print that is often ignored when a new phone is purchased. Apple, for example, doesn’t want iPhones to come closer to you than 1.5 centimeters; Research In Motion, BlackBerry’s manufacturer, recommends 2.5 centimeters.
If health issues arise from cell phone use, the possible effects are huge. Voice calls - Americans chat on cell phones 2.26 trillion(万亿)minutes annually - earn $109 billion for the wireless carriers.
Devra Davis, an expert who has worked for the University of Pittsburgh, has published a book about cell phone radiation, “Disconnect.” The book surveys scientific research and concludes the question is not settled.
Brain cancer is a concern that Ms. Davis examines. Over all, there has not been an increase in its incidence since cell phones arrived. But the average masks an increase in brain cancer in the 20-to-29 age group and a drop for the older population.
“Most cancers have multiple causes,” she says, but she points to laboratory research that suggests low-energy radiation could damage cells that could possibly lead to cancer.
Children are more vulnerable（易受伤的）to radiation than adults, Ms. Davis and other scientists point out. Radiation that penetrates only five centimeters into the brain of an adult will reach much deeper into the brains of children because their skulls are thinner and their brains contain more absorptive fluid（易吸收的液体）. No studies have yet been completed on cell phone radiation and children, she says.
Henry Lai, a research professor in the bioengineering department at the University of Washington, began laboratory radiation studies in 1980 and found that rats exposed to radiation had damaged DNA in their brains.
Ms. Davis recommends using wired headsets or the phone’s speaker. Children should text rather than call, she said, and pregnant women should keep phones away from the abdomen（腹部）.
1.According to Ms Davis, brain cancer increase ____.
A. among children B. among old people
C. in the twenties D. among pregnant women
2.Why do children easily be affected by radiation?
A. Because they haven’t grown up.
B. Because they are too young to protect themselves.
C. Because they use cell phones more often than adults.
D. Because their skulls are thinner and their brains are easily hurt.
3.What can we conclude from the last paragraph?
A. Pregnant women should keep cell phones away.
B. People should use cell phones in the correct way.
C. If you are a child, you’d better text than make phone calls.
D. When you use a cell phone, use a wired headset or the phone’s speaker.
4.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Be careful when using cell phones.
B. Don’t hold your cell phone against your ear.
C. Rats exposed to radiation have damaged DNA in their brains.
D. Low-energy radiation could damage cells that could lead to cancer.
Most students, when asked about their ideal graduation gift, would probably reply, “A car”, or “Money for a deposit on a house”. Cai Kaiyuan, 21, made a different choice. As a graduation gift to himself, he decided to work as a volunteer teacher in a remote village in Tibet.
Cai, a senior majoring in electrical engineering at Huan Railway Professional Technology College, originally planned to cycle from Sichuan to Tibet. During his journey, Cai’s idea for a different graduation gift to himself began to take shape. “I did not know beforehand what the journey would mean to me. I just want to gain a unique experience and have pleasure in appreciating the view there,” he said.
It turned out cycling on a plateau (高原) was extremely challenging. And it has kept changing his outlook on life. Cai’s fingers even became frostbitten while cycling up a 5008-meter-high mountain, where temperatures often dropped to 18 below zero. At night, the ice covered the road and he fell off his bike three times. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy and weak. “At the most serious moment, I felt that my life was on the line,” said Cai.
However, he also gained something unexpected. At Ya’an, a city in Sichuan, he met a group of tourists who are also university students. A girl called Wu Ling told him that she planned to work as a teacher in a primary school in Tibet after her journey. He was impressed by the idea as she looked slender and weak.
It was not until he reached a family-run hotel in Shigatse that Cai’s spirits began to rise. The hotel manager’s two daughters enjoyed talking with him. The kids asked about his experiences on his trip, and showed him the beautiful local lakes. “They told me that they always liked to talk to guests, as they wanted to improve their Mandarin,” he said, “Their parents and many locals can only speak Tibetan.”
Cai was touched by the girls’ story. Their situation is tough and the local people have little chance to learn Mandarin because the schools are short of teachers. “I want to do something to improve the situation for kids like them,” said Cai. His parents finally gave their agreement and his teachers also supported him.
1.According to the passage, Cai Kaiyuan’s graduation gift to himself is _________.
A. to have money for a deposit on a house
B. to travel by cycling from Sichuan to Tibet
C. to own a new car and marry a slender girl
D. to work as a volunteer teacher in Tibetan school
2.What words can be used to describe Cai’s journey to Tibet?
A. unique and pleasant
B. challenging but rewarding
C. relaxing but unexpected
D. freezing cold and boring
3.The underlined phrase “on the line” in the third paragraph means “ ____________”.
A. in a dilemma(进退两难)
B. making a phone call
C. at risk
D. very painful
4.The purpose of writing this passage is to ____________.
A. tell us about an unusual graduation gift
B. introduce a dangerous journey to us
C. give advice on how to travel to Tibet
D. encourage us to be a teacher in Tibet
5.Which of the followings is NOT the reason for Cai to make his decision?
A. He met Wu Ling and was impressed by her plan.
B. His parents and teachers persuaded him to go to Tibet.
C. He was moved by the kid’s desire to improve their Mandarin.
D. A lack of teachers makes the local people have little chance to learn.
书面表达
你校将于5月4日在学校篮球场举办高中生机器人设计大赛，请你代表校学生会根据下面提示写一篇书面通知，内容如下：
1. 请愿意参加的同学在4月26日前到学生会报名；
2. 参评内容包括机器人的外观和功能；
3. 前五名获奖学生将代表学校参加银川市中学生机器人设计大赛。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词汇。
参考词汇：报名 sign up ; 外貌 appearance ；功能 function
Notice
A robot design contest will be held in our school on the basketball court on May 4th.
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Wish you success!
The Students’ Union
April 19th, 2016
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
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。
Trying to come to a decision complete on your own can be risky. Some decisions are very important that they shouldn’t be made without talking to others first. There have several advantages if you consult the persons you trust. For one thing, they can give you valuable advices and they may point out some things you may have been overlooked. For another, friends may stop you make big mistakes.
When consulting others about important decisions, you should keep two things of mind. The first one is that you need to find someone whom you respect enough to trust their judgment. The second thing to consider is how to do if you disagree with this person. Maybe turning to a third or fourth person for help is a good choice. In word, making any big decision alone can lead to problems. Talking to friends or family members first are always a good idea.
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。
Mary will never forget the first time she saw him. He suddenly appeared in the class one day, 1. (wear) sun glasses. He walked in as if he 2. (buy) the school. And the word quickly got around that he was from New York City.
For some reason he sat beside Mary. Mary felt 3. (please), because there were many empty seats in the room. But she quickly realized that it wasn’t her, it was probably the fact that she sat in 4. last row.
____5. he thought he could escape attention by sitting at the back, he was wrong. It might have made it a little 6. (hard) for everybody because it meant they had to turn around, but that didn’t stop the kids in the class. Of course whenever they turned to look at him, they had to look at Mary, 7. made her feel like a star.
“Do you need those glasses for medical reasons?” the teacher asked. The new boy_8. (shake) his head. “Then I’d appreciate 9. if you didn’t wear them in the class. I like to look your eyes when I’m speaking to you.” The new boy looked at the teacher for a few seconds and all the other students wondered 10. the boy would do. Then he took them off, gave a big smile and said, “That is cool.”
