Across Britain,burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers.But,according to a new study,we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year.
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work.Now,the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours,they would earn as much as ￡172,000 a year.
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do,as well as the hours they are working,to determine the figure.This would make their yearly income ￡30,000 more than the Prime Minister earns.
By analysing the numbers,it found the average mother works 119 hours a week,40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime.After questioning 1,000 mothers with children under 18,it found that,on most days,mums started their routine work at 7am and finished at around 11pm.
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour,it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on,including housekeeper,part-time lawyer,personal trainer and entertainer.Being a part-time lawyer,at ￡48.98 an hour,would prove to be the most profitable of the“mum jobs”,with psychologist(心理学家)a close second.
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face,with 80 per cent making emotional(情感的)demand as the hardest thing about motherhood.
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends.
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day.The emotional,physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending,but children are also sources of great joy and happiness.Investing(投入)in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent.
1.How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister?
A.￡30,000. B.￡142,000. C.￡172,000. D.￡202,000.
2.The biggest challenge for most mothers is from______.
A.emotional demand B.low pay for work C.heavy workload D.lack of training
3.What is stressed in the last paragraph?
A.Mothers’ importance shows in family all year long.
B.The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile.
C.Mothers’ devotion to children can hardly be calculated.
D.Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return.
C
Hilversum is a medium-sized city between the major cities of Amsterdam and Utrecht in the Gooi area of North Holland, the Netherlands. Unlike most of the Netherlands, Hilversum is actually in a hilly area with the soil mostly consisting of sand. Once called the Garden of Amsterdam, it still attracts travelers to come over to cycle and walk through the surrounding forests. They visit it for a relaxing day off from the urban madness. For Dutch people, Hilversum is all about textile (纺织) and media industries, and modern architecture.
In history, Hilversum was largely an agricultural area. Daily life was marked by farming, sheep raising and wool production. A railway link to Amsterdam in 1874 attracted rich traders from Amsterdam to Hilversum. They build themselves large villas (别墅) in the wooded surroundings of the town. One of the families moving in was the Brenninkmeijers, currently the wealthiest family of the Netherlands. They moved in after big success in the textile industry and aided a substantial textile industry in Hilversum. But the textile boom lasted only several decades. The last factory closed in the 1960s.
The change to a media economy started in 1920, when the Nederlandse Seintoestedllen Fabriek (NSF) established a radio factory in Hiversum. Most radio stations called in the large villas in the leafy areas of the town. Television gave another push to the local economy. Hilversum became the media capital of the Netherlands, and Dutch televison stars moved into the leafy neighborhoods surrounding the town.
In the early 1900s, modern architcts W.M. Dudok and J. Duiker placed hundreds of remarkable buildings in Hilversum. These modern architectural masterpieces (杰作) are so many that Hilversum almost feels like an open air museum. Dudok alone shaped most 20th century Hilversum and approximately 75 buildings in 1928-1931. It has wide international fame and is included in many architecture textbooks. The building has a remarkable shape and looks like a combination of “blocks”. Actually, one may start his journey of modern architecture by walking or biking the W.M. Dudok Architectural Route in Hilversum.
1.Hilversum is different from most of the Netherlands in that ______.
A.it has a large population
B.it is cut off from big cities
C.it has many beautiful gardens
D.it is in a hilly area with sandy soil
2.What was the greatest contribution of the Brenninkmeijers to Hilversum?
A.Building a railway link to Amsterdam
B.Helping its textile industry to develop
C.Constructing large villas for the poor
D.Assisting its agricultural industry
3.The beginning of the media industry in Hilversum was marked by the establishment of ______.
A.a radio factory
B.the medial capital
C.a radio station
D.a TV station
4.What is known about W.M. Dudok’s Hilversum Town Hall?
A.It consists of approximately 75 buildings
B.It looks like an open air museum in the city
C.It is a classic example in architecture textbooks
D.It has shaped most of 20th century Hilvesum.
Food festivals around the world
Stilton Cheese Rolling
May Day is a traditional day for celebrations, but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include cheese rolling in their annual plans. Teams of four, dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes, roll a complete cheese along a 50-metre course. On the way, they must not kick or throw their cheese, or go into their competitors' lane（赛道）. Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly, but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones). All the competitors arc served with beer or port wine, the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese.
Fiery Foods Festival—The Hottest Festival on Earth
Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They come from as far away as Australia, the Caribbean and China, but they all share a common addiction—food that is not just spicy（辛辣）,but hot enough to make your mouth burn, your head spin and your eyes water. Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three clays every March. You might like to try a chocolate-covered habanero pepper—officially the hottest pepper in the world—or any one of the thousands of products that are on show. But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue, this festival isn't for you!
La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight
On the last Wednesday of every August, the Spanish town of Bunol hosts Ea Tomatina—the world's largest food fight. A week-long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events. The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight-starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd.
The battle lasts little more than half an hour, in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves, runs, or fights back. Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and for a much-needed wash!
1.In the Stilton cheese rolling competition, competitors on each team must .
A.wear various formal clothes
B.roll a wooden cheese in their own lane
C.kick or throw their cheese
D.use a real cheese weighing about four kilos
2.Where is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival held?
A.In New Mexico.
B.In the Caribbean.
C.In Australia.
D.In China.
3.The celebration of La Tomatina lasts .
A.three days
B.seven days
C.less than three days
D.more than seven days
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The chief prize for the Stilton cheese rolling competition is beer or port wine.
B.More than 10,000 Chinese take pail in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival.
C.Thousands of spicy foods are on show in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival.
D.An exciting tomato battle takes place at the beginning of La Tomatina.
Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.
Electronic Village Program (Thursday, June 18, 2015) | |
Nearpod ❖9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ❖Room 501 Nearpod is a software program that creates a rich context（语境）for students to learn vocabulary. The presenter will show how to use it. | TEO ❖ 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ❖Room 502 Our students come from different backgrounds but have the same desire to learn on-line. The presenter will use examples from his first on-line class to explain how any teacher can begin teaching on-line with TEO. |
Kahoot ❖10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ❖ Room 601 Kahoot software can be used to create grammar tests which can be graded on a network. It can provide students with instant feedback（反馈）, including reports about their strengths and weaknesses. | Prezi ❖3:30 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. ❖Room 602 Uses of Prezi in listening and speaking courses draw students' attention to speaking more fluently. The presenter will show how students can use Prezi to confidently present on a variety of topics, including introducing family, friends, and hobbies. |
1.Nearpod can be used to_____.
A.offer grammar tests B.teach listening on-line
C.help vocabulary learning D.gain fluency in speaking
2.If you want to improve your speaking skills, you can go to____________.
A.Room 501 B.Room 502
C.Room 601 D.Room 602
3.Which of the following can assess your grammar learning?
A.Nearpod. B.Kahoot.
C.TEO. D.Prezi.
4.A teacher who wants to learn on-line teaching is expected to arrive by ______.
A.9:00 a.m. B.10:30 a.m.
C.2:00 p.m. D.3:30 p.m.
From my second grade on, there was one event I feared every year: the piano recital(独奏演唱会). A recital _____I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers. Each year I _____ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”. And each year he would shake his head, muttering(嘀咕) _________about build self-confidence and working toward a ________.
So it was with really great______that I stood in church one recent Sunday, video camera in hand, and ______my 68-year-old father sweating in his shirt ______rising to play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn’t _________lessons. He could have gone on regretting it, _______too many of us do. But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn’t ________there. When he retired three years ago, he _____ his church music director to take him as a student.
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he ______stared down at his fingers. Has he forgotten the ______? I worried, remembering those split seconds______ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would _______. But then came the beautiful melody(旋律)，from the _____fingers that once baited(装饵于) my fishing lines. And I______he had been doing what music teachers always stress:___ _____the music and pretend the others aren’t there.
“I’m ________of him for starting something new at his age,” I said to my son Jeff.
“Yeah, and doing it so______,” Jeff added.
With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30-plus years ago.
1.A. reflected B. explained C. meant D. proved
2.A. would B. could C. might D. should
3.A. nothing B. everything C. anything D. something
4.A. goal B. stage C. journey D. chance
5.A. trouble B. satisfaction C. strength D. disappointment
6.A. kept B. sent C. watched D. felt
7.A. through B. from C. against D. before
8.A. miss B. afford C. select D. understand
9.A. as B. once C. if D. while
10.A. educated B. protected C. stuck D. spoilt
11.A. allowed B. invited C. inspired D. persuaded
12.A. roughly B. simply C. merrily D. curiously
13.A. words B. videos C. notes D. lessons
14.A. decades B. weeks C. hours D. moments
15.A. play B. freeze C. click D. adjust
16.A. same B. warm C. different D. dirty
17.A. predicted B. realized C. imagined D. insisted
18.A. pass over B. turn up C. bring in D. concentrate on
19.A. ashamed B. aware C. tired D. proud
20.A. casually B. anxiously C. nicely D. frequently
Always remember put such dangerous things as knives out of children’s
A.touch B.sight C.reach D.distance
