On April twenty-second, some American children stayed out of school but they were not punished. They were with their parents. As Faith Lapidus tells us, it was Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
The Ms. Foundation for Women started the program seventeen years ago, in 1993. At first it was just called Take Our Daughters to Work. Gloria Steinem and other foundation leaders pointed to studies showing that self-image suffers as girls become teenagers. They can lose trust in their abilities and intelligence, especially in areas like science, math and technology. So the Ms. Foundation planned a day for parents in New York City to show girls all the possibilities for them in the professional world. But there was so much interest, the organizers decided to make it national.
At first, girls mostly followed their mom or dad around at work to learn about their jobs. Later, employers and schools began to offer organized activities. But from the beginning there were protests(反对) from parents and others about the exception of boys. So in 2003 the day was renamed Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work.
2007 was the last year that the Ms. Foundation for Women headed the program. Now, the event is run by a twelve-person group called the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation.
The event is connected with Mattel, the company that makes Barbie dolls.
Carolyn McKecuen is president of the foundation. She says a total of about thirty-three million children and adults are involved in the program. About one-third of the adults work at large companies or nonprofit organizations. Another third are in small businesses. The rest work in education.
Carolyn McKecuen says the numbers from this year's event are not final yet. But early reports suggest that participation was up at least ten percent from last year. And she says the foundation is hoping to find support to expand the program internationally. She says there are lots of requests from other countries for information about how to set up similar programs.It was called Take Our Daughters to Work at first because ______.
| A．girls are considered to be clever than boys |
| B．girls are considered to be more foolish than boys |
| C．girls aren’t confident in some areas as they becomes older |
| D．girls don’t want to learn some science subjects |
Why was the day renamed as Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day later?
| A．Because some parents were against only girls’ having the chance. |
| B．Because some parents wouldn’t like to take their daughters to work. |
| C．Because some employers were against parents’ taking their children to work. |
| D．Because some schools didn’t want to give any students’ time to leave school. |
How many years did the Ms. Foundation for Women head the program?
| A．17 | B．18 | C．14 | D．10 |
From this passage we can learn ______.
| A．April twenty-second is a day for some American children to stay out of school for punishment |
| B．the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is a national in America |
| C．Mattel is the president of the foundation whose company makes Barbie dolls |
| D．Lots of other countries want to set up similar programs for parents and children |
The last paragraph shows that ______.
| A．the program becomes more and more welcome |
| B．the program will come an end without international support |
| C．the program has been copied by many other countries |
| D．Carolyn McKecuen wants more and more children to take part in the program |
Professor Barry Wellman of the University of Toronto in Canada has invented a term to describe the way many North Americans interact(互动)these days. The term is “networked individualism”. This concept is not easy to understand because the words seem to have opposite meanings. How can we be individuals(个体)and be networked at the same time? You need other people for networks.
Here is what Professor Wellman means. Before the invention of the Internet and e-mail, our social networks included live interactions with relatives, neighbors, and friends. Some of the interaction was by phone, but it was still voice to voice, person to person, in real time.
A recent research study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that for a lot of people, electronic interaction through the computer has replaced this person-to-person interaction. However, a lot of people interviewed for the Pew study say that’s a good thing. Why?
In the past, many people were worried that the internet isolated(孤立)us and caused us to spend too much time in the imaginary world of the computer. But the Pew study discovered that the opposite is true. The Internet connects us with more real people than expected—helpful people who can give advice on careers, medical problems, raising children, and choosing a school or college. About 60 million Americans told Pew that the Internet plays an important role in helping them make major life decisions.
Thanks to the computer, we are able to be alone an together with other people—at the same time!The underlined phrase “networked individualism” probably means that by using computers people .
| A．stick to their own ways no matter what other people say |
| B．have the rights and freedom to do things of their own interest |
| C．do things in their own ways and express opinions different from other people |
| D．are able to keep to themselves but at the same time reach out to other people |
According to the Pew study, what do many people rely on to make major life decisions?
| A．Networks. | B．Friends. | C．Phones. | D．Parents. |
It can be inferred from the Pew study that .
| A．people have been separated from each other by using computers |
| B．the Internet makes people waste a lot of time and feel very lonely |
| C．the Internet has become a new tool for a new kind of social communication |
| D．a lot of people regard the person-to-person communication as a good thing |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．We’re Alone on the Internet |
| B．We’re Communicating on the Internet |
| C．We’re Alone Together on the Internet |
| D．We’re in the Imaginary World of the Internet. |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment (蚕食)?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids, can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health to stress levels, creativity and cognitive (认知的) skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters (培养) leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite（仪式）of passage.
Everyone, from developers to schools and outdoor citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that cement (增强) love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that __________.
| A．kids missiiiu the sense of wonder outdoors |
| B．parks are in danger of being gradually encroached |
| C．Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods |
| D．children are expected to develop into protectors of nature |
According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will _________.
| A．keep a high sense of wonder |
| B．be over-protected by their parents |
| C．be less healthy both physically and mentally |
| D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is ___________.
| A．the fault on the part of their parents |
| B．the natural experience in their growing up |
| C．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ________.
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| C．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
There are three separate sources of danger in supplying energy by nuclear power.
First, the radioactive material must travel from its form of production to the power station. Although the power stations themselves are strongly built, the containers used for the transport of the materials are not. Normally, only two methods of transport are in use, namely road or rail. Unfortunately, both of these may have an effect on the general public, since they are sure to pass near, or even though, heavily populated areas.
Secondly, there is the problem of waste. All nuclear power stations produce waste that in most cases will remain radioactive for thousands of years. It is impossible to make these waste radioactive, and so they must be stored in one of the inconvenient ways that scientists have invented. For example, they may be buried under the ground, or dropped into deserted mines, or sunk in the sea. However, these methods do not solve the problem, since an earthquake could easily break the containers.
Third, there may occur the danger of a leak or an explosion at the power station. As with the other two dangers, this is not very likely, so it does not provide a serious objection to the nuclear program. However, it can happen.
Separately, these three types of dangers are not a great cause for worry. Taken together, though, the probability of disaster is extremely high.Which of the following is FALSE ?
| A．It is possible that a leak or an explosion occurs at a power station. |
| B．It is unusual for radioactive materials to be transported across land. |
| C．The containers are likely to be broken by an earthquake. |
| D．Nuclear wastes remain dangerous in most cases for many years. |
The author thinks that the ways to store nuclear wastes are ____________.
| A．easy | B．impossible | C．reasonable | D．ineffective |
What do we learn from the last paragraph ?
| A．The power station is a safe place. |
| B．The dangers of nuclear energy can be prepared. |
| C．The general public are strongly against the nuclear program. |
| D．Itself, none of the three dangers is very likely to cause much worry. |
What is this passage mainly about ?
| A．uses of nuclear power |
| B．Dangers from nuclear power |
| C．Public anger at nuclear power |
| D．Accidents caused by nuclear power. |
| Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months’ preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers. Six months’ community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV / AIDS. Fights and Teacher Training. Qualifications: 18 years, hard working and social engagement. Please contact us by e-mail: takeaction@ betterworld.com. |
| Part-time work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange students organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the US. Positions available in most states. If interested, please email staff@ youth. org or call 888—123—9872. |
| International Summer Job Hi, I’m an ESL student in China. I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I’m looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a job? I don’t need to earn much, just enough in two months ( July --- August) to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is: ram3462@ hotmail.com. |
| Call for Native Speaker of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don’t need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me, then please email us: club3864@ hotmail.com |
Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
| A．One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries. |
| B．One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases. |
| C．One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English. |
| D．One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program. |
Where will jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
| A．In some local offices in the US. |
| B．In an ESL organization in China. |
| C．In a preparation program in Denmark. |
| D．In an exchange student center in Africa. |
If Mrs. Black in the US hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact _______.
| A．takeaction@betterworld.com | B．ram3462@hotmail.com |
| C．club3864@hotmail.com | D．staff@youth.org |
What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
| A．To interview people online. | B．To do some house work. |
| C．To offer advice on Child Aid | D．To provide language exercises. |
A qualified doctor who rarely practiced but instead devoted his life to writing. He once said: “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my lover.” Russian writer Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, was a great playwright and one of the masters of the modern short story.
When Chekhov entered the Moscow University Medical School in 1879, he started to publish hundreds of comic short stories to support his family. After he graduated, he wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper.
As a writer he was extremely fast, often producing a short story in an hour or less. Chekhov’s medical and science experience can be seen through the indifference(冷漠) many of his characters show to tragic events. In 1892, he became a full time writer and published some of his most memorable stories.
Chekhov often wrote about the sufferings of life in small town Russia. Tragic events control his characters who are filled with feelings of hopelessness and despair.
It is often said that nothing happens in Chekhov’s stories and plays. He made up for this with his exciting technique for developing drama within his characters. Chekhov’s works combined the calm attitude of a scientist and doctor with the sensitivity(敏感) of an artist.
Some of Chekhov's works were translated into Chinese as early as the 1940s. One of his famous stories, The Man in a Shell, about a school teacher’s extraordinarily orderly life, was selected as a text for Chinese senior students.Anton Pavlovich Chekhov ________.
| A．had a lawful lover | B．was an illegal writer |
| C．used to be a lawyer | D．was a competent doctor |
In 1880, Chekhov ________.
| A．became a full-time writer |
| B．studied medicine in Moscow University |
| C．practiced medicine in his hometown |
| D．published his most memorable stories |
Which of the following adjectives can’t be used to describe Chekhov?
| A．Sensitive. | B．Cool. | C．Quick-minded. | D．Warm-hearted. |
Which of the following is the right order of the events?
a. became a doctor
b. became a full time writer
c. started to publish comic short stories
d. wrote regularly for a local daily newspaper.
e. entered the Moscow University Medical School
| A．e→c→a→d→b | B．d→a→b→c→e |
| C．e→c→b→a→d | D．a→e→c→b→d |
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