Children who are brought up by two parents grow up to be cleverer than those raised by just one person, new research suggests. Being with both parents in the earliest years of life leads to a child developing more brain cells, the scientists believe. Being brought up by both parents causes boys to have better memory and learning functions. By contrast, it causes girls to develop improved co-ordination and sociability.
It is believed that babies with two parents tend to get more attention and more stability(稳定), and that they are less likely to suffer emotional distress(悲伤) in the first years of life. This leads to greater brain cell production ------ for boys it is grey matter brain cells that develop and for girls is white matter brain cells.
The researchers from Canada studied mice and experimented by creating one-parent and two-parent family groups. They then measured the offspring’s(后代的) brain cell development from birth to adulthood. Adult mice with the highest number of brain cells turned out to be those who had been brought up by two parents rather than one. As babies they had received more attention and more nursing as both parents took turns to lick and tend to their youngsters, said Dr Samuel Weiss.
As a result, the babies with two parents are less likely to suffer early life hurt which can have a massive impact on how their brains develop in later life, the research shows. However, what did surprise the researchers is that female babies who grew up with both parents turned out to be good single mothers, as if good parenting was passed on.
The researchers said,“ In the mouse model, parenting and the environment directly impacted adult brain cell production. It is possible that similar effects could be seen in other mammals, such as humans.”From the first paragraph we can draw a conclusion that ________.
| A．Girls have better memory and learning functions. |
| B．Boys are better at co-ordination and sociability. |
| C．The benefits vary between the sexes. |
| D．The benefits are the same between the sexes. |
The researchers proved their idea ________.
| A．by questionnaire on parents. |
| B．by experiment on mice. |
| C．by raising babies themselves. |
| D．by experiment on humans. |
The underlined word “impacted” means _________.
| A．destroyed | B．constructed |
| C．influenced | D．disagreed |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Children brought up by two parents are cleverer. |
| B．Children brought up by single parent are cleverer. |
| C．Children grow up themselves are cleverer. |
| D．Children grow up themselves are more self-confident. |
Right now in China, talks on the street have been about the strange weather and it's raising a lot of concerns. A heavy haze(雾霾) has blanketed many cities in the northern and southern parts of the country in part of an unusual weather system that’s descended on the nation.
The haze stretches over a vast area, from Hebei and Shan-dong Provinces in the north all the way to Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan and Fujian provinces in the south. At its worst, the smog is reducing visibility to less than 200 meters and disrupting traffic, both on the ground and in the air. The weather front has also led many to worry about the possible health impacts.
Many cities are waking up to another day covered by a dense haze. In Beijing, drivers have to keep their lights on even though it’s already past eight o’clock in the morning. Even driving at very slow speeds, the roads can still be very dangerous. In some of the worst hit areas, drivers can’t even tell the colors of traffic signals. Authorities have stepped in to close off many highways across the troubled region. In Shandong Province, the highways that are open are backed up for miles. And traffic police have stepped up their patrols.
In the region’s airports, flights information boards have gone red. A huge number of flights have been delayed or cancelled, nearly three hundred in Beijing alone, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Some are more frustrated than impatient. Passenger from Jinan airport, Shangdong province, said: “I’ve been waiting for more than five hours. It’s Mother Nature, so there’s really nothing we can do.” The airport is urging passengers to confirm with their carrier whether their flight will still take off as scheduled.
Back on the city streets, people are wearing breathing masks to get free from any ill effects. Fog has cleared a little in Shanghai. But damage has already been done. Shanghai resident said: “I’ve been wearing the mask, but still, my throat feels sour and itchy. I think it’s because of the weather.”
The weather forecast predicts a cold front is about to sweep across central and eastern China tomorrow. Many are hoping that this will clear away the depressive haze as well as the harm it brings.The harm the smog caused didn’t include .
| A．reducing visibility to less than 200 meters |
| B．disrupting traffic |
| C．health problems |
| D．heavy fog |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Only a small part of China suffered the haze. |
| B．Many highways were blocked up |
| C．All the flights were delayed or cancelled |
| D．The bad weather would last another few days |
When the passenger said “It is Mother Nature”, he had a feeling of .
| A．impatience | B．frustration |
| C．Anxiety | D．curiosity |
The passage is developed by .
| A．making comparisons |
| B．giving examples |
| C．following the time order |
| D．analyzing the causes |
A soldier who lost both his legs after being blown up in Afghanistan is racing a sports car in his hometown this weekend.
Remarkably David Birrell will not only drive the Mazda MX5 but he does without any specially adapted equipment.
Davie, 28, has battled back from terrible injuries after a bomb blew up directly below him. He gave himself first aid and fired at Taliban(塔利班) fighters until help arrived. Davie was always interested in motor sport and after spending weeks in hospital was introduced by Help the Heroes to Mission Motorsport, which helps the wounded recover. The charity(慈善机构) are organizing a major event, Race of Remembrance, at the Anglesey Circuit near Rhosneigr of North Wales in November, and Davie was at the circuit yesterday for an official launch.
He said,“It’s my first time racing on Anflesey. This means everything to me. I loved it straight away, and it gives you something to focus on, to try and stay in front of others. I was boxing since the age of eight and my whole life has been one-to-one competition. But now everything has changed.”
Davie, a corporal（下士）in the Black Watch, was in Helmand in April 2010 when his interpreter stood on the bomb. He said,“I was confused and went blank（空白） for a couple of seconds. There was dust in the air and I couldn’t see. Both legs were still attached but there were massive injuries to my right leg and my left foot was broken.”As the Taliban began firing he returned fire and waited for help. He added,“A medical team came over. I was taken back to Camp Bastion by helicopter. I was there for two days before being flown to hospital in Birmingham.”
He had lost his right leg and the following year had his left leg amputated below the knee, ending the Army career.Davie was wounded _____________ according to the passage?
| A．In Rhosneigr. | B．In Birmingham. |
| C．In Helmand. | D．In Bastion. |
___________can replace the underlined word“ amputated” in the last paragraph?
| A．Cut off. | B．Blew up. |
| C．Focused on. | D．Attached to. |
Davie is most likely to come from ___________.
| A．Afghanistan. | B．the UK. |
| C．the US. | D．Taliban. |
What we know about Davie is that _____________.
| A．Davie was killed by Taliban fighters. |
| B．Davie’s interpreter survived the accident. |
| C．Davie’s legs were blown up immediately. |
| D．Davie might like boxing when he was young. |
What do you do when you need to look something up? Go to the library? Open an encyclopedia（百科全书）? Click onto the Internet? These days, most people go straight to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. But how reliable is it?
There is no denying the popularity and usefulness of Wikipedia. It attracts as many as 78 million visitors every month, and the site is available in more than 270 different languages. It’s one of the most comprehensive resources available, which includes almost all details, facts and information that maybe concerned. It's got much more information than an ordinary encyclopedia. The site is updated on a daily basis by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can log on and edit the contents or add a new page. And you don't need any formal training.
Of course, there are some controls. Wikipedia has a team of more than 1,500 administrators who check for false information. And main targets for harmful comments(such as politicians) are off-limits to public editing. But with more than 16 million articles to keep an eye on, it isn't easy. So, while Wikipedia benefits from being constantly updated with information from all over the world, it's also open to “vandals” (破坏他人财产者).
Some of the damage is easy to notice. One person drew devil horns and a moustache on Microsoft chairman Bill Gates’ photo, while another edited Greek philosopher Plato’s biography to say he was a “Hawaiian weather man who is wildly believed to have been a student of‘Barney the purple Dinosaur’ and to have been deeply influenced by his dog, Cutie”.
But other things are harder to spot. The most common form of vandalism involves adding tiny items of false information into the biography of a famous person. Unbelievably, some of this misinformation has appeared in newspapers, with The Daily Mail, The Guardian and The Independent all having fallen victim to the dirty tricks. For example, in an article about British comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, one newspaper claimed that he co-wrote Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime hit There’ll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover. He did no such thing. And in another article, it was reported that TV Theme tune composer Ronnie Hazlehurst had written the S Club 7’s hit Reach. Once again, not true.
So, if you are going to use any information from Wikipedia, make sure you double-check it first.Which of the following would the author most probably agree with?
| A．Before using the information from Wikipedia, one should first check it. |
| B．Though popular and wildly used, Wikipedia provides little reliable information. |
| C．It is understandable that some people add false information to Wikipedia. |
| D．Updated on a daily basis, any information from Wikipedia is reliable. |
We can learn from the passage that _______________ .
| A．because of its popularity, 78 million people from 270 countries visit Wikipedia monthly |
| B．Wikipedia is the most comprehensive resource with all information we need |
| C．anyone who has access to the Internet can edit any contents of Wikipedia as they like |
| D．the primary job of the administrator is to make sure true information is conveyed |
What does the underlined part “off-limits” in paragraph 3 mean?
| A．Not convenient | B．Not welcome |
| C．Not accessible | D．Not boundless |
What’s the writer’s attitude to Wikipedia?
| A．Negative | B．Worried |
| C．Indifferent | D．Objective |
The Hunan Satellite TV(HNTV) show “Where are we going, Dad?” is a big hit. Many famous stars brought their children to a strange village alone, and they had to spend 72 hours with their children there. The program fully showed us a modern version of the “how to be a good father”. As the young parents today are too busy to take care of their children, this new form of “Lost on the way” played by nanny Daddy and cute kids triggered（触发）a lot of people’s emotional resonance（共鸣）. Both the kids and their parents will find that their hearts are being drawn closer. But this kind of feeling has just proved that there is a big spiritual barrier between the modern parents and children.
The TV shows like “Children are hard to support!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becoming more and more popular. All of these show the new parents’ confusion in children’s education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.
In real life, on the one hand the young parents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their children under the pressures of work and life; on the other hand they continue to do so. The data collected by HNTV shows that nearly two-thirds of their audience are female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34. We can imagine such a scene that one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children, while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is just playing computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the company of father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In a modern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility of raising a child. The participation of mother in the children’s education is also very low.
It is just this kind of confusion where the parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parents will guide their children to go that “Where are we going，Dad?” shows us. If a child wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen with independent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her to follow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the real reason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that children will go where their parents go; and society will go where the children go.The program is wildly welcomed mainly because_________.
| A．many famous stars and their children took part in it |
| B．it fully showed us how to be a good father |
| C．it introduced many beautiful sights and cultures |
| D．it triggered a lot of people’s emotional resonance |
In raising a child in modern society, parents should ________.
| A．watch TV shows with their children |
| B．play computer games with their children |
| C．keep their children company to avoid socializing |
| D．balance well between family and career |
Which of the following can be inferred in the passage?
| A．36% of the audience of the program are female aged from 25-34. |
| B．Parents shouldn’t entirely leave the education of children to the old. |
| C．In a modern family it is often mothers who are responsible for raising a child. |
| D．The program shows us the confusion where the parents and children will go to play. |
Which one is the best title of the passage?
| A．Nanny Daddy and Cute Kids |
| B．Modern Education is Important |
| C．Confusion Behind “Where are we going, dad?” |
| D．New Problems in Modern Children’s Education |
A Scottish university is considering allowing students to use their own computers in exams. Edinburgh University already has the equipment to allow a small number of students to use computers during exams. Senior officials at Edinburgh University say that it is unfair to expect students to use pens and paper in exams when the majority of their coursework is done on computers. Undergraduates at the School of Divinity have the choice of using computers with their final answers being collected on a USB stick, but the take-up stands at less than 10 per cent.
Dai Hounsell, professor of higher education at the university, said, “We’ve got to look at alternatives to the handwritten exam. Looking ahead ten years from now, I’m sure there will not be handwritten answers any longer in the exam of certain subjects, but how we get there from here isn’t easy. The plan doesn’t apply so much to science and engineering subjects where students have to use charts and mathematical formulae（公式）. There isn’t technology at the moment to allow them to do that on a computer.” He adds that the approval of students is the key before anything is carried out. He also said, “We don’t want to put students’ future at risk by experimenting as there are technical things which can go wrong. There could be a power failure.”
Nora Mogey, head of Media and Learning Technology Service at the university, said, “A lot of students are not assured enough to make that step in such an important situation. They don’t feel they’ve had enough practice in typing on a computer with a time limit in a high-pressure environment. They think they do better with a pen in their hand than on a keyboard.”
Jennifer Cadiz, president at the National Union of Students in the UK, said, “It’s great to see universities recognizing that times have changed. Exams can be a really stressful time for students and it’s helpful to offer them a flexible（灵活的）way to complete exams.”
No other major Scottish universities have plans to follow in Edinburgh University’s footsteps and the Scottish Qualifications Authority says it has decided not to carry out the plan in its universities.According to Para. 1, we know that in Edinburgh University _________.
| A．computers are not allowed to be used during exams |
| B．students shouldn’t use their pens during exams |
| C．most coursework is done on computers |
| D．most students will use computers during exams |
What’s Dai Hounsell’s attitude towards Edinburgh University’s new plan?
| A．He opposes it. |
| B．He isn’t optimistic about it. |
| C．He is fond of it. |
| D．He thinks it necessary. |
The underlined word “assured” in Para. 3 probably means “___________”.
| A．confident | B．ready |
| C．fortunate | D．wealthy |
We can infer from the passage that ____________.
| A．other universities will try to carry out the challenging plan |
| B．universities shouldn’t make students stressful during exams |
| C．the use of computers in exams won’t spread widely in a short time |
| D．students should get ready to use computers in exams in future |
I think people everywhere dream about having lots of money. You could win a large amount of money in the United States through lotteries. People pay money for tickets with numbers. If your combination of numbers is chosen, you win a huge amount of money --- often in the millions.
A few years ago, my friend Al won the lottery. It changed his life. He did not have a rich family. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Instead, my friend was always hard up for cash. And the money he did earn was chicken feed --- very little.
Sometimes Al even had to accept gifts from his family and friends. But do not get me wrong. My friend was not a deadbeat. He was not the kind of person who never paid the money he owed. He was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact, he was often a cheapskate（守财奴）. He did not like to spend money.
One day, Al got together a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never strike it rich or gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery and won a great deal of money.
Al was so excited. The first thing he did was to buy a costly new car. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. He started to waste it. It was like he had money to burn. He had more money than he needed and it was burning a hole in his pocket so he spent it quickly.
When we got together for a meal at a restaurant, Al paid every time. He told me the money made him feel like a million dollars. He was very happy.
But, Al spent too much money. Soon my friend was down and out again. He had no money left. He had spent his bottom dollar, his very last amount. He did not even build up a nest egg. He had not saved any of the money. Some might say he was penny wise and pound foolish. He was wise about small things, but not about important things.The role of the first paragraph is to __________.
| A．show the attraction of lotteries |
| B．tell some facts about lotteries |
| C．explain how to win the lottery |
| D．introduce the story of Al |
Before winning the lottery, Al ____________.
| A．failed to make both ends meet |
| B．earned nothing and borrowed money |
| C．once had a relatively rich family |
| D．didn’t know how to save money |
The underlined word “deadbeat” in Para. 3 probably refers to a person who _______.
| A．is lazy with no job to do |
| B．tries to avoid his debts |
| C．likes to spend money |
| D．is generous |
What was to become of Al, according to the passage?
| A．He had built up a nest egg. |
| B．He was a cheapskate again. |
| C．He felt like a million dollars. |
| D．He was penny wise and pound foolish. |
James knew the decision was not going to be an easy one to make as he sat on the hill near the small town that he lived in. There was no one he could turn to for advice. His only sister lived away and he hardly ever saw her and when his sister came over, they always ended up in an argument.
It had been a hot day and James’s clothes seemed to stick to his body. He had felt terrible for weeks and he was just tired of feeling sick. He had started vomiting（呕吐）after he would eat anything and he knew that something would have to be done.
After going to the doctor, he was told to come back in a few days. The next three days had gone by slowly and it was time for his visit to the doctor. He had been shown into the doctor’s office and James knew it was bad news. The end result was he had stomach cancer.
James sat on the hill looking down at the town and wonder what he would do. Taking out his phone, he dialed his sister’s number and told her the bad news. She started to cry and said, “If anything happens to you, I will be alone in this world.”
Marie, his sister said, “You are moving up here and you will live with me until you get back on your feet, so go home, pack up and I will be there to get you in two days.”
He smiled and said, “It sounds wonderful, but I still haven’t decided if I am going to have the surgery or not?” Hearing this, she softly whispered, “Of course you are having the surgery. I will pick you up in two days. I love you.”
James knew the final word was still up to him and he would think about it because this was a decision that wouldn’t come easy to him.From the very beginning, we know that James ________________.
| A．used to sit on the hill when in trouble |
| B．lived alone and seldom met others |
| C．didn’t get along well with Marie |
| D．never made a decision by himself |
James decided to go to his doctor when _____________.
| A．he felt it had been too hot for him |
| B．he vomited anything he ate |
| C．he felt sick for several weeks |
| D．he got a call from his sister |
The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to _____________.
| A．James having the surgery |
| B．Packing up within two days |
| C．Marie coming to meet him |
| D．James moving to live with Marie |
What is the message expressed in the passage?
| A．Health is not valued till sickness comes. |
| B．Blood is thicker than water. |
| C．Each day brings its own bread. |
| D．Good health is above wealth. |
To protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security（安全） Administration (TSA) is required by law to check all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and checked. Your bag was among those selected for check.
During the check, your bag and its contents may have been searched for items forbidden by law such
as fireworks, fuels, gunpowder, etc. At the completion of the check, the contents were returned to your bag, which was resealed（重新封口）with a "special" lock.
If the TSA screener was unable to open your bag for check because it was locked, the screener may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, and has taken care to reseal your bag upon completion of check. However, TSA is not liable for damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution (预防措施) .
For packing tips and other suggestions that may assist you during your next trip, visit: WWW.TSATravelTips.us.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact the Transportation Security Administration Consumer Response Center:
Phone: toll-free at (866) 289-9673
Email: TellTSA@tas.dot.govThe passage is trying to ______.
| A．introduce one of the security acts |
| B．tell people about baggage check |
| C．warn against the damage of locking the baggage |
| D．persuade people to contact TSA |
The passage is most probably written to those who ______.
| A．had their baggage selected for checking |
| B．refused to check their baggage |
| C．kept some damaged items in their baggage |
| D．left their baggage unlocked |
The underlined word “liable” means “______”.
| A．suitable by law | B．permitted by law |
| C．responsible by law | D．prepared by law |
For packing tips and other suggestions, visit ______.
| A．TellTSA@tas.dot.gov |
| B．TSA Consumer Response Center |
| C．toll-free at (866) 289-9673 |
| D．WWW.TSATravelTips.us |
My son and I were trying to sell the house we had repaired, but in the barn（谷仓）there were bats and they would not leave. The barn was their home. They told us so in their own way they hung for the season. “Don’t worry about it, Dad.” Patrick said. “They keep down the mosquitoes（蚊子）.”
Unfortunately they also kept the buyers away. When we had asked a person to sell the house for us he had refused to show it because of the bats. “Bats are popular,” Patrick comforted me. “They are ecological.” “Isn’t there a machine you can buy that produces high-frequency sounds to keep bats away?” “ I don’t know,” said Patrick. “But I like bats, and whoever buys this house will probably like them too.’ “Probably?” I hated that word. “How many bats are there, anyway?” “I counted about 90 last night,” said Patrick. “They were dropping out from under the edge of the roof.” “You mean there are more------outside?” “They’re everywhere, Dad. But look at it this way. When the cold weather comes, they’ll be off to Mexico. Maybe in the spring we can keep them out. Don’t worry about it,” he said for the
the hundredth time. “It’s not a problem.”
The bat expert I called was even more active than Patrick. “I think you’ve got a large number there,” he said in wonder. “I’ve been trying to attract bats to our house for 25 years. A single bat ears up his weight in mosquitoes and black flies three times every night. You’ve a very lucky man.” I offered to share my luck with him. He could take them away. “Bats have a remarkable homing instinct（本能）,” he said. “They’d fly straight back even if I transported them 100 miles. Once they have settled, you can’t stop them from coming back.” I was silent.
Finally we managed to rent the house to a young family, who were also interested in buying it. “What about the bats?” I said to Patrick. “Oh, they love the bats,” he said. “No mosquitoes. No black flies. It’s one of the things that attracted them.” “Do you think they will really buy the house?” “Probably? Well, if they do, I suppose I’ll have to admit that I was wrong.” “You mean you’re going to eat your words?”
“Yes. I am.”What was the problem the author had with his house?
| A．Bats were living in the barn and wouldn’t go away. |
| B．The author and his son couldn’t sleep well because of the bats |
| C．The author and his son might be able to stay for the season. |
| D．The house was still badly in need of repair. |
What did Patrick suggest the author should do to stop the bats living in the barn?
| A．Buy a high-frequency machine. |
| B．Close the barn in the spring. |
| C．Reduce the number of mosquitoes. |
| D．Move them one hundred miles away. |
What happened to the house in the end?
| A．Some people agreed to rent the house. |
| B．The author failed to find anybody who wanted to live in the house |
| C．The bat expert made the decision to buy the house. |
| D．The bats left the house for Mexico in the spring. |
Why did the author think he might have to “eat his words”?
| A．He felt sorry for the bats. |
| B．He was happy about selling the house. |
| C．He realized they might be wrong about the bats’ actions |
| D．He might be mistaken about being unable to sell the house. |
Have you ever suddenly felt that someone you knew was in trouble —and was he? Have you ever dreamed something that came true later? Maybe you have ESP（特异功能）. ESP stands for Extrasensory Perception. It may be called a sixth sense. It seems to let people know about events before they happen, or events that are happening some distance away.
Here’s an example. A woman was ironing clothes. Suddenly she screamed, “My father is dead! I saw him sitting in the chair!” Just then, a telegram came. The woman’s father died of a heart attack. He died sitting in a chair.
There are thousands of stories like this one on record. Scientists are studying them to find out what’s behind these strange mental messages. Here’s another example —one of hundreds of dreams that have come true.
A man dreamed he was walking along a road when a horse and carriage came by. The driver said, “There’s room for one more.” The man felt the driver seemed dead, so he ran away. The next day, when the man was getting on a crowded bus, the bus driver said. “There’s room for one more.”
Then the man saw that the driver’s face was the same face he had seen in the dream. He wouldn’t get on the bus. As the bus drove off, it crashed and burst into flames. Everyone was killed!
Some people say stories like these are coincidences. Others, including some scientists, say that ESP is real. From studies of ESP, we may someday learn more about the human mind.According to the passage, the author believes that the sixth sense is ______.
| A．possible | B．imaginative |
| C．not real | D．impossible |
By studying ESP, scientists may get to ______.
| A．learn how people tell lies |
| B．know more about human dreams |
| C．know more about human mind |
| D．learn how strange things happen |
In the last paragraph the underlined word “coincidences” probably means “______”.
| A．things that may not happen |
| B．things that happen by accident |
| C．things that must happen |
| D．things that happen in a dream |
This article is mainly about ______.
| A．the human dream | B．a crowded bus |
| C．the human mind | D．the sixth sense |
How many men do housework? Recently a European Commission tried to find out people’s ideas and reactions to the women’s movement. As part of their survey (调查), they asked many men and women the question, “Who does the housework?” The men answered very differently from the women!
The housework they asked people about were: preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning the house and babysitting. 48% of British husbands said they did these things. 37% of Danish men helped in the house. But only 15% of Italian men said they did the housework, many of them said they never helped at all!
But there was an interesting point of view from the wives. According to British wives, only 38% of their husbands helped in the house. And Italian wives said that their husbands hardly ever helped. The Italian and British men did not tell the truth! The Commission found that Danish men were the most trustful husbands; their answers were the same as their wives’ answers.
Do the men you know help in the house? Do you think the survey gives a true picture in your experience? Write and tell us what you think.The survey was carried out in ______.
| A．Britain | B．Europe | C．Denmark | D．Italy |
The subject for the survey is ______.
| A．how many boys do the housework |
| B．who are more diligent（勤劳）, wives or husbands |
| C．how many women do the housework |
| D．who does the housework at home |
From the passage we can see that ______.
| A．there were more husbands who did the housework than wives |
| B．husbands did half of the housework all the time |
| C．there were more wives who did the housework than husbands |
| D．wives did all the housework at home |
More ______ husbands help in the house than ______ husbands.
| A．British; Danish | B．Italian; Danish | C．Danish; British | D．Italian; British |
The elephant was lying heavily on its side, fast asleep. A few dogs started barking at it. The elephant woke up in a terrible anger: it chased the dogs into the village where they ran for safety. That didn't stop the elephant. It destroyed a dozen houses and injured several people. The villagers were scared and angry. Then someone suggested calling Parbati, the elephant princess.
Parbati Barua’s father was a hunter of tigers and an elephant tamer（驯兽者）. He taught Parbati to ride an elephant before she could even walk. He also taught her the dangerous art of the elephant round-up -- how to catch wild elephants.
Parbati hasn’t always lived in the jungle. After a happy childhood hunting with her father, she was sent to boarding school in the city. But Parbati never got used to being there and many years later she went back to her old life. “Life in the city is too dull. Catching elephants is an adventure and the excitement lasts for days after the chase,” she says.
But Parbati doesn’t catch elephants just for fun. “My work,” she says, “is to rescue man from the elephants, and to keep the elephants safe from man.” And this is exactly what Parbati has been doing for many years. Increasingly, the Indian elephant is angry: for many years, illegal hunters have attacked it and its home in the jungle has been reduced to small pieces of land. It is now fighting back. Whenever wild elephants enter a tea garden or a village, Parbati is called to guide the animals back to the jungle before they can kill.
The work of an elephant tamer also involves love and devotion. A good elephant tamer will spend hours a day singing love songs to a newly captured elephant. “Eventually they grow to love their tamers and never forget them. They are also more loyal than humans,” she said, as she climbed up one of her elephants and sat on the giant, happy animal. An elephant princess indeed!For Parbati, catching elephants is mainly to ______.
| A．get long lasting excitement |
| B．make the angry elephants tame |
| C．send them back to the jungle |
| D．keep both man and elephants safe |
Before Parbati studied in a boarding school, ______.
| A．she spent her time hunting with her father |
| B．she learned how to sing love songs |
| C．she had already been called an elephant princess |
| D．she was taught how to hunt tigers |
Indian elephants are getting increasingly angry and they revenge（报复）because ______.
| A．they are caught and sent for heavy work |
| B．illegal hunters capture them and kill them |
| C．they are attacked and their land gets limited |
| D．dogs often bark at them and chase them |
The passage starts with an elephant story in order to explain that in India ______.
| A．people easily fall victim（受害者）to elephants attacks |
| B．dogs are as powerful as elephants |
| C．elephant tamers are in short supply |
| D．the man-elephant relationship is getting worse |
Rome had the Forum (论坛). London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street comers. And just talk. Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, “ Talk to Me,” they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don’t collect money. They don’t push religion (宗教). So what’s the point?
“To see what happens,” said Liz. “ We simply enjoy life with open talk.”
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return. “ It started as a crazy idea.” Liz said. “ We were so curious about all the 10 strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their job, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.” Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went. Marcia had led her husband to a serious disease. “That was very heavy on my mind.” Marcia said. “ To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good,” she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people appeared, as well as some television cameramen and reporters. They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something the two say they’ll consider before making a decision.
| A．Telling stories to strangers. |
| B．Setting up street signs. |
| C．Talking with people |
| D．Organizing a speaker’s party. |
| A．They knew Liz and Bill very well. |
| B．They happened to meet the writer of the text. |
| C．They organized the get-together in the city park. |
| D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill. |
| A．Go in for publishing |
| B．Do more television programs. |
| C．Continue what they are doing |
| D．Spend more time reading books. |
| A．They have decided to wait a year or two. |
| B．They will think about it carefully |
| C．They agreed immediately |
| D．They find it hard to do that. |
Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater. Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.
Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report.
He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”.
Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile.
| A．a travel guide | B．a newspaper |
| C．a textbook | D．a novel |
| A．swimming in the river | B．standing on the river bank |
| C．watching the crocodile | D．fishing in the water |
| A．Her eyes were badly poked. |
| B．She had eight wounds altogether. |
| C．One of her fingers also got hurt. |
| D．One of the crocodile’s teeth was found in her leg. |
| A．brave | B．diligent | C．quick | D．humorous |
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