How many men do housework? Recently a European commission(委员会) 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 was: preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning the house and babysitting. 48% of British husbands said they did these things. 37% of Danish(丹麦的) 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 truthful 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．Italy | C．Denmark | D．Europe |
The subject for the survey is_______.
| A．how many boys do the housework? | B．who does the housework at home |
| C．how many women do the housework? | |
| D．who are more diligent, wives or husbands |
From the passage we can see that _______.
| A．there are more husbands who did the housework than wives |
| B．husbands do half of the housework all the time |
| C．there are more wives who do the housework than husbands |
| D．wives do almost 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 |
July 21st. 2007 was a typical English summer’s day--it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I left work at 5p.m., however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of waters greeted me. Thank God! The kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs. And the plaster had to be torn off the wall’s ceilings pulled down.
At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home. So we camped upstairs. We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we move to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community. We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbors, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that.
Although our situation was very bad, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought. “We didn’t have a straw hut(茅草房) that was swept away, and our house is still standing. We’re lucky.” We moved back home in August. With December coming, there’s reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas. But I can’t wait--I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year, I won’t need any gifts--living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions. Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush--we have our home back. And that’s the main thing.What does the underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Found. | B．Missing. | C．Right. | D．Wrong. |
It can be inferred from the text that the author _________.
| A．cared much about her children |
| B．was sick of staying upstairs alone |
| C．could not stand living in a wooden house |
| D．did not deal well with her family affairs during the flood |
Why does the author say that they were lucky in the third paragraph?
| A．Because her situation was not serious. |
| B．Because some others suffered even more. |
| C．Because she had ever been to Northern India. |
| D．Because very few other places were also flooded. |
What does the author mainly want to express by telling her story?
| A．She realized she needed no more possession. |
| B．She valued human feelings more than before. |
| C．She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed. |
| D．She thought her own home was the most important of all. |
Staying silent can be just as powerful as the words you mean to say, like when the act of hugging will be more comforting than saying, “Sorry for your loss.”
Another time when silence is golden is when you are unsure of what to say. If you are confused about your own feelings concerning a matter, it’s best to stay quiet until you are more certain because more harm can be done by revealing false or exaggerated feelings.
Choose silence instead of blurting out ‘in-the-moment’ feelings that are hurtful and not really how you feel in the grand scheme of things. When you feel the urge to say an unkind thing, take a few breaths and think of the possible consequences of your words.
Silence can be your best friend during negotiations. Say your piece, then close your mouth, and let the other person come to their own conclusions. Your silence shows that one, you are confident in what you just said, and two, you respect the other person enough to hear what they have to say.
Sometimes silence is the best and most timely solution because the other person is not in a position to hear what you have to say. For example, when a friend needs for you to listen to her problems, but she is unable to accept your advice at that moment.
Practice being silent at work when you don’t have anything meaningful to contribute. Unless you can elevate the conversation by pointing out something interesting, missing, or beneficial, it’s best to just observe and learn.
Finally, silence is golden when you don’t want to engage in a fool’s argument. As some squabbles(口角) will never be resolved, one must agree to disagree.
However, there will be times in your life where you will need the power of your voice, the voice within you that wants and needs to be respected and appreciated.The passage mainly tells us about ________.
| A．when to stay silent |
| B．why to stay silent |
| C．how to stay silent |
| D．whether or not to stay silent |
What is the best to do during negotiation?
| A．Grasp every chance to say more than the other |
| B．Close your mouth and just listen to the other |
| C．Keep silent after expressing yourself |
| D．Speak out your own points and discuss with others |
What does the underlined word “elevate” most probably mean?
| A．start | B．conclude | C．interrupt | D．cancel |
To follow this passage, the writer is likely to continue telling about________.
| A．the power of your voice |
| B．the occasions when you should speak up |
| C．the advantages of speaking up |
| D．the disadvantages of staying silent |
China may be the world’s largest market for e-bikes, but Europe is fast catching up. The EU’s official statistics agency says the figure reached the one million e-bike mark two years ago, and sales have sharply increased since then.
When working errands (差事) around Berlin, Lutz, who usually works with horses, uses the company’s new e-bike that charges easily and has a range of 140 kilometers. “We found there was no parking spot problem or other worries. And on top of all this, we don’t pollute the environment. Petrol is also saved,” said Lutz Baddack, owner of Reitsport Baddack.
Unlike many other parts of the world, the EU does not require registration (登记) for e-bikes. Nearly half a million are expected to be sold in Germany this year, in all shapes and sizes.
It’s not just bike fans buying them. People who usually drive cars also use them occasionally,” said Stefan Gelbhaar.
Dealers say the elderly are also big customers. Sales of ordinary bicycles fell in Germany last year, but sales of e-bikes rose by eight percent. Sales figures are expected to keep rising. “In five years we will have the market share of 20 percent, maybe more,” said Marcus Kendler, owner of E-Motion. In the hillier parts, that figure has already been beyond it.
The sales of e-bikes in Germany have been much larger than those in any other country in Europe. But other countries are fast catching up. In Europe, with the various brands at the market and falling prices, e-bikes are here to stay and not just a repeated trend.In Germany the sales of e-bikes _________.
| A．have been the biggest in Europe |
| B．have been larger than in China |
| C．reached one million two years ago |
| D．have taken up 20% of the market |
Which of the following is NOT the benefit of using e-bikes?
| A．The users needn’t worry about parking spots. |
| B．It’s environmentally friendly and saves petrol. |
| C．The users are not required to register worldwide. |
| D．It charges easily and runs far without charging. |
From the passage we know that e-bikes are preferred by those _________.
| A．who work with horses |
| B．who usually drive cars |
| C．who are out on business |
| D．who live in the hillier parts |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
| A．the popularity of e-bikes in Europe will be lasting |
| B．in Europe there are various brands of e-bikes on sale |
| C．e-bikes will replace ordinary bicycles in only five years |
| D．Europe will become the world’s largest market of e-bikes |
| My Left Foot (1989) Imagine being a prisoner of your own body, unable to make any movements except to move your left foot. The main character in My Left Foot, based on the real story of cerebral palsy (大脑性麻痹) sufferer Christy Brown, can barely move his mouth to speak, but by controlling his left foot, he’s able to express himself as an artist and poet. For his moving performance of Brown, Daniel Lewis won his first Academy Award for best actor. |
| Shine (1996) Do you have a talent you’re afraid to share with the world? David Helfgott seemed meant from childhood to be “one of the truly great pianists,” but the pressures of performing (and pleasing his father) resulted in a complete breakdown. Ten years in a mental institution didn’t weaken Helfgott’s musical gift: When he was rediscovered, he was playing concertos in a bar. Shine received seven Oscar nominations (提名), and Geoffrey Rush won best actor for his performance of Helfgott. |
| Life Is Beautiful (1997) Nothing’s more powerful than the love between a parent and a child. In this heartbreaking Italian film, a father (Roberto Benigni) makes an unbelievable sacrifice for his 4-year-old son: trapped in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, the Jewish man convinces his boy that they are playing a complicated game. He manages to spare him the horror of the terrible war, and even in his final moments of life, keeps his son smiling and hopeful. Benigni won the best actor Oscar. |
| Stand and Deliver (1988) Few people can inspire us more than a good teacher. Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos got Oscar nomination for best actor) is a great one. Employed at a high school where kids are expected to fail, Escalante challenges his math students to struggle for better things, like getting good grades in the AP exam. Despite the obstacles in their lives, the classmates accomplish their goals, thanks to Mr. Escalante’s support. The real Jaime Escalanteis, the Best Teacher in America, says that Stand and Deliver is “90% truth, 10% drama.” |
The underlined part in the passage means _________.
| A．The main character in My Left Foot is a prisoner |
| B．The main character in My Left Foot is trapped by others |
| C．The main character in My Left Foot is a disabled person |
| D．The main character in My Left Foot can’t control his whole body |
If you want to watch a movie about wars, which may be one of your choices?
| A．My Left Foot. | B．Shine. |
| C．Life Is Beautiful. | D．Stand and Deliver. |
What do the four movies have in common?
| A．They are all based on real stories. |
| B．They are all inspiring stories that make a difference. |
| C．The main characters all won Academy Award for Best Actor. |
| D．The main characters are all sick to some degree but succeed. |
Taking photographs at a birthday or a wedding has become as natural as blowing out candles or cutting the cake. But our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be damaging our ability to remember them, according to new research. A study has shown that taking pictures rather than concentrating fully on the events in front of us prevents memories taking hold.
Dr. Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described it as the "photo-taking impairment effect". She said: "People so often pull out their cameras almost mindlessly to capture a moment, to the point where they are missing what is happening right in front of them. When people rely on technology to remember for them—counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves—it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences."
Dr Henkel and her team carried out an experiment in a museum, to learn if taking pictures of the exhibits was hindering the ability of visitors to remember what they had seen.
A group of university students were led on a tour at the Bellarmine Museum of Art at Fairfield University and were asked to either photograph or try and remember objects on display. The next day their memory was tested. The results showed that people were less accurate in recognizing the objects they had photographed than those they had only looked at. It was found that their memory for the details of the objects they had photographed was poorer.
Henkel's lab is currently investigating whether the content of a photo, such as whether you are in it, affects later memory. She is also researching whether actively choosing what to photograph might influence what we remember.
Previous research suggests that reviewing photos we have taken does help us remember the objects, but only if we take the time.
"Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and recalling them. In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just collect them," said Dr Henkel.What does the word “them”, in the first paragraph, refer to?
| A．Gifts at a birthday. |
| B．People who go to parties. |
| C．Photos taken at a wedding. |
| D．Details of the happiest moments. |
What is the “photo-taking impairment effect”?
| A．Some unhappy events may impair the effects of photos. |
| B．Taking photographs of objects ruins one’s memory of them. |
| C．The effects of photos are strongly affected by bad cameras. |
| D．Memories last forever when people take the photos they like most. |
What can we learn about Dr. Linda Henkel’s study?
| A．A group of high school students were involved. |
| B．The memory of participants was tested the following week. |
| C．People who just looked at the objects remembered fewer details. |
| D．People who photographed objects were worse at recognizing them. |
With which of the following may Dr. Linda Henkel agree?
| A．Reviewing photos improves memories of objects. |
| B．Focusing on people at events is the best way to remember. |
| C．Relying on technology to remember affects the memory. |
| D．Counting on cameras to record events is always reliable. |
The passage is probably taken from________.
| A．a health magazine | B．a cultural overview |
| C．an economics report | D．an entertainment website |
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