For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming to an empty house. 1. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children. They are children who look after themselves while their parents work. 2.
Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. There were so many keys. It never came to my mind what they meant.” 3.
She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the impact working couples and single parents were having on their children. 4.One in every three latchkey children the Logs talked to reported being scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. 5.
The second is TV. They’ll often play it at high volume. It’s hard to get statistics(情况)on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.
A.Slowly, she learned they were house keys.
B.But they don’t mind.
C.Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone.
D.Some deal with the situation by watching TV.
E.Some go to their friends or their relatives.
F.And their bad condition has become a subject of concern.
G.It might be in a shower stall, under a bed or in a closet.
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that one in every 12 kids is living in homes where no one has worked for at least a year. That may be due to unemployment or issues such as sickness or disability that mean they can’t work, and aren’t required to. This is known as being in a “long term workless” family.
The issues faced by children in workless families have very bad influence on their development and education, limiting their future employment prospects, and reducing their opportunities to succeed throughout their lives.
Not only does worklessness reduce family income, it can also damage families’ health and stability, and thus destroy children’s development. This is because many workless families are held back by disadvantages such as debt, drug and alcohol dependency, and by homelessness. Suffering from the family problems, many children face a greater and greater possibility of repeating the poor outcomes of their parents. Government research has shown that children in workless families are almost twice as likely not to reach the expected level at all stages of their education. For example, three-quarters of children from families where no one works failed to reach the expected level at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), compared to around half of children in lower-income working families.
So attention should be paid to children in out-of-work homes. Having working parents means a child is more likely to do better at school, to have better health, education and development, and also means they are less likely to fall into crime.
But for some families, worklessness, or not employment, is the norm. They just choose not to work. These families often face huge barriers to getting on with their lives but they take the opportunities offered by the society. Parents’ ability to work is frustrated by issues like low skills or poor mental or physical health, or drug and alcohol dependency, leaving children without the stability they need.
We all want to help workless families with complex problems so that their children can take advantage of the opportunities in Britain. We all want parents to have the chance to go out to earn a living and to enjoy the pleasure of work, so that their children can benefit from the good examples of working parents. In doing so, we should know the need to understand the complex issues that some families face and to develop a new approach to deal with poverty. Because the root causes are not financial. It is about helping families overcome the problems they face so that they can go as far as their talents and hard work will take them. We shouldn’t retreat from acting to deal with disadvantages, because we know the costs of inaction to individuals, communities and society.
1.According to the author, children in workless families may _______.
A.have better performance at school
B.take chances to go out to earn a living
C.be more able to deal with their problems
D.live the same lifestyles that their parents had
2.The underlined word “norm” in the fifth paragraph probably means _______.
A.a huge barrier B.a turning point
C.a typical standard D.an unusual event
3.In the last paragraph the author mainly talked about _______.
A.raising of social welfare
B.solutions to the problems
C.development of the society
D.reforming of the government
4.The main purpose of the passage is to _______.
A.introduce a study on children in workless families
B.appeal to the readers to help children in workless families
C.present a new approach to deal with poverty of workless families
D.compare children’s performances in workless families and low-income ones
Loud cheers and applause broke out at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab on Monday, November 25, 2018, as the unmanned lander, called Insight, touched down on Mars, after nearly seven
years from design to launch to landing.
The great arrival of the spacecraft—designed to listen for quakes and shakes as a way to discover the Red Planet’s inner secrets, how it formed billions of years ago and, how other planets like Earth took shape—marked the eighth successful landing on Mars in Nasa’s history.
Minutes after InSight landed on the surface of Mars, the first image was sent back, showing a wide flat area as seen through a dirty camera.
The touchdown came after a nearly seven-month, 300 million-mile travel from Earth to Mars, during which the InSight spacecraft had to slow down from a speed of more than 12,000 mph. The spacecraft’s heat shelter helped the lander survive temperatures as high as 2,700℉.
Each step along the way was watched nervously at JPL, with updates delayed by the eight-minute light travel time between Earth and Mars. Mission controllers hugged each other with joy when the signals were received. “We are proud of everything that has gone on today,” they told us reporters.
The first picture of the surface of Mars was sent back to Earth by one of the MarCO nanosatellites (马可纳米卫星) that accompanied InSight during its travel to Mars. The dust from the landing made the view unclear. Pictures from it were expected to be clearer once the dust settled and the lens cover (镜头盖) was removed.
Hours later, InSight’s batteries were charging as expected. The InSight team also passed on another picture, taken by a different camera that’s fixed on the lander’s robotic arm. The view is clearer, showing the robotic arm and the seismometer, which is used to discover the actual movement of the ground.
1.What do we know about InSight lander from the passage?
A.It has landed successfully on Mars eight times.
B.It travelled all the way at the speed of 12,000 mph.
C.Mission controllers helped it survive high temperature.
D.The task of it is to find out the inner mysteries of Mars.
2.We know what Mars looks like by _______.
A.studying pictures InSight lander sends back
B.reading reports sent back by the person on Mars
C.collecting images sent back by MarCO nanosatellites
D.analyzing information the robot on InSight lander sends back
3.How did the mission controllers feel when they received signals from Insight?
A.Unconcerned. B.Worried.
C.Amazed. D.Excited.
4.The passage is most probably taken from _______.
A.a fiction novel B.a news report
C.a travel magazine D.an official statement
When young, I loved going on trail（小路） runs. It was my favorite way to escape stress. So, when I was back in my hometown after a tough first year of my Ph. D. program, I thought a trail run was just what I needed. But instead of helping me relax, the run did just the opposite.
After I moved to the city for college, where my runs were on flat concrete paths instead of winding dirt trails, I used a GPS watch. When I went on trail runs again in the country, it constantly reminded me of the fact that I wasn’t keeping up with my usual pace. I turned my watch off, thinking that would allow me to enjoy my surroundings and find the peace I expected, but I worried I was underperforming. “Why can’ t I let go and just enjoy myself?” I wondered. But after some introspection（反省）, I realized why I was struggling—both on trail runs and in graduate school.
Going into my Ph. D. , I had thought that my solid undergraduate track record would set me up for instant success. To my surprise, I was wrong. I lacked confidence in my research abilities which I thought stopped me performing well and I constantly felt my progress was too slow. Other students’ self-confidence and their excellent results made me feel insecure. Finally, one day I broke down in tears in my adviser’ s office.
Then came my visit home: I was having trouble because I hadn’ t properly adjusted my expectations to the differences between an urban run and a trail run.
A Ph. D. is like a trail run: Sometimes you can run fast. Sometimes you might find yourself climbing up a steep, winding trail at a snail’ s pace. And that’ s OK. Barriers are unavoidable, and success looks and feels different on a challenging trail than it does on a smooth, flat path. Sometimes it’ s best to take a deep breath and do your best to meet the challenge.
1.How did the author feel when he was on trail runs again?
A.Relaxed. B.Tired.
C.Anxious. D.Happy.
2.What resulted in the author’ s poor performance in Ph. D
A.His lack of confidence. B.His lack of hard work.
C.His poor research abilities. D.His poor track record.
3.What does the author want to show in the last paragraph?
A.His desire for success. B.His confidence of trail runs.
C.His expectations in his study. D.His realization after the trail run.
4.What does the author want to tell us?
A.Failure is the mother of success.
B.Working out regularly is beneficial.
C.It’ s important to make necessary adjustments.
D.It’ s vital to turn to others for help.
Amsterdam's Best Flea MarketsIjhallen Flea Market
First or second weekend of every month
Perhaps the most impressive of them all is Ijhallen， located in the north of Amsterdam． With more than 1，500 stands and 3，000 free parking spaces， the monthly market attracts visitors from not only the Netherlands， but Europe-wide．
There is a five euro admission fee， but you can be pretty sure that you can browse second-hand treasures for most of the day． Anything and everything can be found here； old guitars and antique chairs， art prints and military gear．
Noordermarkt Flea Market
Saturday， 9am-4pm
Monday， 9am-2pm
In the centre of the Jordaan， the Noordermarkt Flea Market on Saturdays includes vintage（老式的） goods and organic food produce from local farmers．
On Mondays， the market transforms into an antique-hunter's goldmine． There are piles of vintage clothes， antique books， coins and furniture．
Waterloopein Market
Monday-Saturday， 9am-6pm
The most centrally located of all flea markets in Amsterdam， Waterlooplein Market offers visitors a range of snacks， second-hand clothes and vintage treasures．
There's a maze of second-hand goods， from old globes and hanging lamps， to African drums， antique rugs and used bikes．
Spui Book Market
Friday 10am-6pm
Ideally situated among bookstores， you'll find a collection of tents sheltering second-hand and antique books at the book market on Spui．
You can find a variety of literature from biographies and poetry to fantasy-fiction， history， psychology and geography． While most books are from the Netherlands， some English and international titles are for sale． As well as antique maps， prints and record．
1.Which flea market do you need to pay some extra money？ ______
A.Ijhallen Flea Market． B.Noordermarkt Flea Market．
C.Waterlooplein Market． D.Spui Book Market．
2.What can you pick up at Noordermarkt Flea Market？ ______
A.You can get enough parking space． B.You can choose a range of snacks．
C.You can buy some fresh vegetables． D.You can dig some gold mines here．
3.When is a good time to visit a favorite market for a crazy book fan？ ______
A.First weekend of every month． B.Friday， 10am-6pm．
C.Monday， 9am-6pm． D.Saturday， 9am-4pm．
During my second year in high school, I got sick and missed a few days. When I ______, I was greeted with two essays，three days of math and history homework, plus several tests. ________ I went home from school that day exhausted, I had to stay up really late to finish them all.
The next day at school, I got a shock: I’d totally forgotten to prepare for the ________ on Romeo and Juliet, which I’d take ________ my lunch hour! Worse still, I had ________ the in-class discussion and all the notes. When lunch came, I went to the English room to face my certain doom(厄运). All I could do was try to ________ on the questions I didn’t know.
As it turned out, I didn’t know the majority of the questions. I was just about to give ______ when my pencil accidentally fell and broke. Standing by the blackboard sharpening my pencil, I ________ down and there in full view lay the answer sheet for the test! What good fortune! I can kiss good-bye to all my ________ of failing the test! My heart started beating, and my brain _________, Yes! Read over the answers — quickly! This was quickly followed by another voice, No! You’ll get caught! My mind turning back and forth, Yes! No! Yes! No! …This went on for ten of the ________ seconds in my entire life.
Finally, I decided to finish the test on my own, without ________! I was satisfied with my decision but pretty ________ I had failed the test.
The next day when I walked into the English room, my great joy of having been an ______ soul changed into a wave of doom as I saw my test paper lying face down on my desk. I knew what awaited me. I stared at it a few seconds before I took the _________ to turn it over.
You can only imagine my ________ when I learned that I had passed the test! I have never in my whole life been so happy to see my ________, a C-.
My mom says the victories that ________ the most courage are won within. Now I know ________ what she means. Now not only can my conscience (良心) rest easy, but I don’t have to worry about getting caught and meeting a sad ________ like Romeo and Juliet.
1.A.arrived B.appeared C.returned D.finished
2.A.Although B.Because C.Until D.If
3.A.lecture B.essay C.test D.play
4.A.by B.over C.upon D.toward
5.A.carried B.lost C.dropped D.missed
6.A.depend B.guess C.agree D.improve
7.A.in B.off C.out D.away
8.A.wrote B.settled C.looked D.calmed
9.A.boredom B.loneliness C.tiredness D.worries
10.A.warned B.persuaded C.chanted(唱歌) D.whispered
11.A.coldest B.saddest C.longest D.fastest
12.A.suffering B.cheating C.checking D.thinking
13.A.regretful B.glad C.certain D.relieved
14.A.honest B.open C.optimistic D.energetic
15.A.wisdom B.encouragement C.intention D.courage
16.A.anxiety B.shock C.fear D.appreciation
17.A.paper B.credit C.rate D.grade
18.A.take B.put C.find D.gain
19.A.gradually B.exactly C.willingly D.seemingly
20.A.ending B.film C.fact D.love
