Three quarters of Britain’s parents are too busy to read bedtime stories to their children，according to a study. The study was carried out by CITV to start their new children’s show Bookaboo，which is designed to encourage anyone to pick up a book and read with their children at any time of the day.
Worryingly，the study showed that only three percent of fathers now find the time to read to the kids compared to 89 percent of mothers. Lucy Goodman，creator of Bookaboo，said，“It’s important for young boys to be able to share a book with dads，granddads or male carers and it can be fun and rewarding，too.” Of the dads who said they didn’t read to their kids,87 percent blamed work while more than a third said they were too tired. While 89 percent of mums said they did read to their children，more than half of them said cleaning distracted (使分心) them and 49 percent were distracted by other household things.
Researchers also found parents are now relying heavily on other people to lend a hand with reading to their children with grandparents doing the most，followed by sisters and brothers，aunts and uncles. While 95 percent of parents read to their children at some point，only five percent read to their children during the day. More than one in ten said they read every couple of weeks or less，and five percent could not remember the last time they shared a book.
The study found parents also seem content with allowing their children to immerse (使沉浸) themselves in TV programs or playing computer games rather than reading.
Exgoalkeeper David Seaman，who is a dad of two，has been a guest in Bookaboo.He says，“I think it’s important that fathers do read to their children because it’s a special time. Sometimes my two children will come to listen to the same book—it’s a magical moment and I advise fathers just to try it.”We can know from the passage that Bookaboo________.
| A．is a daily show | B．is an adults’ show |
| C．is a popular show | D．aims to encourage people to read to their children |
According to the study，fathers don’t read to their kids mainly because________.
| A．they are too busy with work |
| B．they don’t think it necessary to do so |
| C．they are distracted by household things |
| D．they like to play computer games in their free time |
Which group of people helped parents read to the kids the most?
| A．Aunts and uncles. | B．Grandparents. |
| C．Children’s carers. | D．Children’s sisters and brothers. |
According to the last paragraph，David Seaman________.
| A．is a goalkeeper now | B．has only one child |
| C．is the creator of Bookaboo | D．thinks it is great to read to children |
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to think for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we limit our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city center.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.The reason why the author felt depressed is that_______.
| A．she was afraid she couldn’t finish her work on time |
| B．she spent too much time indoors in front of her computer |
| C．her every waking hour was consumed by the project |
| D．the project was very important to her |
In the author's opinion, _______.
| A．adults should express their inner feelings freely |
| B．depression is usually caused by hard work |
| C．walking in a busy city center harms people's health |
| D．a bath can make people relaxed |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) _______.
| A．explanation | B．warning |
| C．introduction | D．reminder |
You may never think a documentary film could have aroused so much public enthusiasm in Chinese history. Nowadays everybody is talking about a new 7-part documentary called A Bite of China which was recently broadcast late at night on CCTV I. The documentary describes various gourmet items across the vast Chinese culinary landscape.
According to Taobao, China’s biggest online retail website, just five days after the series began to air, nearly 6 million people went to the site in search of various local specialties, particularly those mentioned in the documentary. More than 7.2 million deals were concluded. A ham producer from Yunnan Province saw his sales grow 17-fold in five days.
However, one can’t help but believe that the documentary’s popularity is probably linked to the endless stream of terrible food security issues that have emerged in recent years. In one well-received article, a netizen wrote, “I wonder how many felt so empty-hearted and sighed after watching the film. Blue-vitriol watered chive, formaldehyde sprayed cabbage, Sudan Red colored salty eggs, restaurants using gutter oil. The list is long…”
How will a varied and ancient food culture that is famous worldwide and which should have made the Chinese proud end? Food is the most vital thing in people’s lives. Yet China’s food industry has made people a little worried due to some severe food safety crisis. The market is huge while the cost of faking and cheating is so low for immoral businessmen; and the punishment is too light. Take the milk industry as an example. Although Sanlu, the company that sold the melamine-adulterated milk powder, was punished, thousands of other dairies didn’t work hard to improve the quality. Therefore, food safety problems should be an important concern of Chinese government so that our ancient food culture can be preserved.
As the documentary shows, people are attracted not to gourmet items like matsutake, a species of rare mushroom grown naturally in remote forests, but to common Chinese dishes like barley, lotus root or tofu. They are what meet our basic needs. This explains why people are so excited about A Bite of China---it is a reminder that there is still a world out there where food is excellent and safe.The underlined word “gourmet items” probably means_______.
| A．delicious food | B．latest technology |
| C．beautiful clothes | D．great inventions |
The second paragraph mainly talks about_______.
| A．the content of the documentary |
| B．the producer of the documentary |
| C．the popularity of the documentary |
| D．the history of Chinese gourmet |
We can infer from what a netizen wrote in one well –received article that _______.
| A．the price of food is too high for many common people |
| B．the documentary was made by a world-famous Chinese director |
| C．there is a huge contrast between the ancient food culture and the reality |
| D．none of the television viewers have a knowledge of the Chinese food culture |
According to the passage, China’s food industry has a problem of faking and cheating because_______.
| A．there are still so many poor people at the present time |
| B．the punishment for unscrupulous businessmen isn’t serious enough |
| C．the Chinese government encourages it to do so |
| D．the food technology is not so advanced as in developing countries |
Hello! The University of Hawaii is located just outside of downtown Honolulu in green Manoa valley．We invite you to visit and want to let you know about our learning programs, the richness of our culture, the beauty of our environment, the spirit of our students and teachers, advanced equipment and modern buildings．We look forward to seeing you come．The following information is given so that your visit will be as easy as possible．
You should get in touch with us ahead of time．You may directly contact the office of the College to schedule appointment service at 1--877-447-3233. To arrange a campus tour, please hand in a request through our Online Campus Visit Request Form．
Tours are on weekdays:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
9:00a.m.--9:30a.m.: Meet with a University Representative（代表）
9:30a.m.--11:30a.m.: General Campus Tour with a UHM （The University of Hawaii Manoa ） student
Tuesday & Thursday
1:00p.m.--l:30p.m.: Meet with a University Representative
l:30p.m.--3:30p.m.: General Campus Tour with a UHM student
You also can get in touch with us by:
Phone Number: 1 （877） 447-3233, or 1 （808） 956-6524
E-mail: visituhm@hawaii．edu
How do you get to UHM?
It is in Honolulu less than 3 miles away from Waikiki and about 9 miles from Honolul International Airport．
By car: From Waikiki and from Honolulu International Airport
Taxi: Taxi fare to UHM is about $25．00, except baggage charges and a tip of 10 to 15percent．
Public bus: Luggage is allowed on city buses. Bus stops are on the second floor of the airport.A one-way fare is $2.00（in exact change）.About the University of Hawaii, all is true except_______．
| A．It has advanced equipment and modern buildings． |
| B．It offers visitors thoughtful campus tour. |
| C．It is located in the center of Honolulu． |
| D．Your visit there can be accompanied by a UHM student． |
If you are only free in the afternoon, you can visit the campus _______．
| A．at l:00p.m.on Mondays |
| B．at l:30p.m.on Tuesdays |
| C．at 2:00p.m.on Wednesdays |
| D．at 4:00p.m.on Thursdays |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．You need to contact them in advance. |
| B．Taxi fare to UHM is about $ 25.00, including a tip． |
| C．Only by car and bus can you get to UHM. |
| D．You can visit the campus both on weekdays and weekends． |
The purpose of writing the passage is _______．
| A．to know how to apply for entrance to the university |
| B．to introduce the University of Hawaii |
| C．to make your visit to the campus as easy as possible |
| D．to show the rich culture of their university |
No one knows exactly how many disabled people there are in the world，but estimates suggest the figure is over 450 million. The number of disabled people in India alone is probably more than double the total population of Canada.
In the United Kingdom，about one in ten people have some disability. Disability is not just something that happens to other people：as we get older，many of us will become less mobile，hard of hearing or have falling eyesight．
Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of life. Some people are born with disabilities．Many others become disabled as they get older. There are many progressive disabling diseases．The longer time goes on，the worse they become. Some people are disabled in accidents．Many others may have a period of disability in the form of a mental illness. All are affected by people’s attitude towards them．
Disabled people face many physical barriers．Next time you go shopping or to work or to visit friends，imagine how you would manage if you could not get up steps, or onto buses and trains. How would you cope if you could not see where you were going or could not hear the traffic? But there are other barriers: prejudice can be even harder to break down and ignorance inevitably represents by far the greatest barrier of all. It is almost impossible for the able-bodied to fully appreciate what the severely disabled go through，so it is important to draw attention to these barriers and show that it is the individual person and their ability，not their disability，which counts．The key word in Paragraph 4 is_______.
| A．disability | B．ignorance |
| C．prejudice | D．Barriers |
The last word of the passage “counts” most probably means_______.
| A．being most important | B．being considered |
| C．being included | D．being numbered |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Even the able-bodied may lose some of their body functions when they get older. |
| B．There are about 10 percent disabled persons in the UK. |
| C．The whole society should pay attention to the barriers faced by the disabled people. |
| D．There no longer exists prejudice against the disabled. |
It can be concluded from the passage that_______.
| A．we should try our best to prevent disablement |
| B．both physical and mental barriers are hard to break down |
| C．we must take a proper attitude towards the disabled |
| D．the able-bodied people will never fully understand the disabled |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌)a road can lead to less usable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺).Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱)than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher(洗碗机)only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
| A．Using river water. |
| B．Paving parking lots. |
| C．Throwing batteries away. |
| D．Throwing rubbish into lakes. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| B．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. |
The last paragraph is intended to .
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．suggest what we do to save water at home |
| D．prove what drinking glass is best for us. |
The text is mainly about .
| A．how human activity affects our water supply |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．why paving roads reduces our water. |
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