Mother-of-three Carmen Blake called her midwife(助产师)to ask for an ambulance when she went into labor unexpectedly with her fourth child.
But the 27-year-old claims she was refused an ambulance and told to walk the 100m from her house in Leicester to the city’s nearby Royal Infirmary(医院).
Her daughter Mariah was delivered on a pavement outside the hospital by a passer-by, just before ambulance crews arrived.
Ms Blake said she started going into labor at about 7:15 am on Sunday, August 2. She said, “I phoned up the Royal Infirmary, it’s just across the road.
“I went into the bath and realized she was gong to come quickly. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it out of the bath, so I phoned the maternity(妇产科的) ward back and told them to get an ambulance out.”
They said they were not sending an ambulance and told me I had had nine months to sort out a lift.
Experienced mother MS Blake today said she knew she had to get herself out of the bath and try to get to the hospital.
Eventually MS Blake and her friends enlisted the help of a physiotherapist(理疗师) who happened to be passing on her way to work. She dialed 999 and helped deliver baby Mariah while waiting for emergency services.
Ms Blake said despite the happy ending she was upset she was told to make her own way to the hospital as, being an experienced mum, she knew she did not have the time.
Today a government spokeswoman said, “We are disappointed that Ms Blake was not happy with the advice and care she received and will of course investigate any complaint. We are pleased that both Ms Blake and her daughter are well and healthy.” Carmen Blake, the 27-year-old mother, gave girth to her new child Mariah .
| A．in the city’s Royal Infirmary |
| B．in the ambulance on her way to hospital |
| C．out of the bath at home |
| D．in the street on her way to hospital |
The underline3d phrase “went into labor” in the first paragraph probably means .
| A．felt worried | B．felt tired | C．gave birth to | D．went to sleep |
It can be inferred that .
| A．there were not enough ambulance in the Royal Infirmary |
| B．the story ended with a sad ending |
| C．the maternity ward said Ms Blake only needed a lift |
| D．the maternity ward said Ms Blake ought to call earlier |
Carmen Blake accused the Royal Infirmary of .
| A．failing to send an ambulance to help her |
| B．having killed her newly-born baby |
| C．not taking good care of her and her baby |
| D．refusing to admit her into the hospital |
“Hey, little boy, will you support me when I’m getting old?” Wang Wenshan, 35, asked his newborn baby as he picked him up at home.
The Chinese tradition of raising sons to support parents in their old age has been weakened by the rapidly growing economy and improving standard of living. As is the case with more and more developed countries, China faces an aging society. People are living longer and having fewer children. Therefore, many Chinese families are falling into a 4－2－1 family pattern: a couple raises one child and supports four elderly parents. But few realize that a problem is likely to happen ahead.
The aging of the population is a trend that now affects a growing number of countries. Not long ago, the Information Office of the State Council, China’s cabinet, issued a white paper on measures China is taking to help its elderly population. The paper said China’s population entered the aging period at the end of the 20th century and the proportion of people aged 60 and above accounted for over 10 percent of the entire population. By the end of 2005, China had nearly 144 million people over 60, accounting for 11 percent of population, according to the white paper.
An expanding aged population inevitably means that many issues must be settled, as the problem concerns every aspect of society. It puts more pressure on each family, causing disturbing economic consequences and serious social problems. It also challenges the labor force supply and the pension system.
“I used to think that it’s not an issue for me to provide for the aged,” said Wang, whose parents and parents-in-law all enjoy pensions and medical insurance. But last year Wang’s father suffered a serious illness and afterward Wang began to feel the pressure on his shoulders.
After his father recovered, Wang opened bank accounts for each parent and deposited some money into the account every month to prepare for future uncertainties. In addition, he has to save money every month to provide for his son’s future education. “I’m now breaking my back working to support my family: saving pensions for the parents, my son’s education funds, and living costs.”
Wang also bought some commercial old-age insurance for himself. “We have to take precautions before it is too late, and many of my colleagues share the same view,” he said. Which of the following is not caused by an aging society?
| A．Social problem |
| B．The problem of the pension system |
| C．More pressure on the family |
| D．Unemployment |
From the passage, we can infer _______
| A．the aging people problem is one of the concerns for the Chinese government |
| B．China will encourage young couples to have more than one child |
| C．many people have realized the problem of aging society |
| D．children will not support their parents in an aging society |
Which of the following can be used to replace the underlined word inevitably?
| A．Surprisingly | B．Certainly | C．Hopefully | D．Unluckily |
Form the text we can see that _______
| A．China is the only country to face an aging society |
| B．Most of the developing countries face an aging society |
| C．countries with a large population face an aging society |
| D．more and more developed countries face an aging society |
William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood lacked the harmony（和睦）that was typical of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered “little of childhood but its pain”. In fact, he inherited（继承）excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama（戏剧）and poetry.
Yeats had strong faith in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at beginning. He didn’t lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.
Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats’s poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition.
He had not enjoyed a major public life since winning the Nobel Price in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeats’ death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines:
Earth, receive an honored guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel（船）lie
Emptied of its poetry.Which of the following can describe Yeats’s family?
| A．It filled Yeats’s childhood with laughter |
| B．It was shocked by Yeats’s choice |
| C．It was a typically wealthy family |
| D．It had an artistic atmosphere |
According to the passage, what do we know about Yeats’s life?
| A．Yeats founded the first Irish theater |
| B．Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry |
| C．Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s |
| D．Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Noble Prize |
What kind of feeling is expressed in W. H. Auden’s lines?
| A．Envy | B．Sympathy | C．Emptiness | D．Admiration |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Yeats’s literary achievements | B．Yeats’s historical influence |
| C．Yeats’s artistic ambition | D．Yeats’s national honor |
I never got along with Dad. But when he was dying. I set off for Nebraska to be with him and my family. I stopped for the night at a hotel with a pool, hoping it would relax me.
The pool area was empty as I walked into the still water. A man in a bathing suit appeared. He sat on the edge of the pool with his legs moving up and down in the water. He had dark hair and deep brown eyes and smiled. “Where are you going?” he asked. When I told him about my father, he asked how we got along. I tried to change the subject, but then for some reason, I told him everything.
Finally the man said, “Even with all the trouble, remember, your father still loves you.” All at once, warm and clear childhood memories came flooding back: Dad running alongside my wobbling（摇摆的）bicycle, the proud hug he gave me at my high school graduation, his laugh when I caught him off guard with a tickle（挠痒）. “Yes, I know he does, ” I heard myself say. And for the first time in years I believed it. The man left, leaving me alone with my comforting thoughts.
Back in my room, as I went to bed, I decided it was time to forgive my father. Then I wished he’d forgive me too. The phone bell woke me up at 3 am. My sister’s voice sent a shiver（寒战）through me: Dad had just died. I had wanted to see him and make peace. But as sadness was beginning to surround me, I remembered that the man by the pool had already brought Dad and me together. From the passage we learn that the author _________
| A．didn’t know his father was seriously ill |
| B．always thought highly of his father |
| C．lived in Nebraska far away from his family |
| D．was going to see his father |
When the author was in the pool, ___________
| A．many other people were there too |
| B．he talked a lot with the man by the pool |
| C．he greeted the may by the pool first |
| D．the man by the pool told him everything about his family |
What made the author change his original idea about his father?
| A．That he was reminded that his father actually loved him |
| B．That the man by the pool mentioned his interesting childhood |
| C．That he remembered his father had taught him to ride a bike |
| D．That he knew his father would leave him forever |
In the last paragraph, the author was sad that he ________
| A．hadn’t accepted the kind stranger’s advice |
| B．had no chance to make peace with his father |
| C．hadn’t obeyed his father when he was young |
| D．hadn’t stayed with his father before |
Most friendships die a nature death: people move, change jobs, or start different stages of life. Other friendships, however, end unexpectedly. When a friendship is over and you don’t understand why, it can be especially painful. Sometimes a friend ends your relationship without telling you why.
The loss of friendship might be worth reflecting on. Knowing when a friendship is over and why it ends may help you build stronger friendships in the future.
●See if you can find a problem.
When a friendship is over, examine your relationship. Perhaps you remember your friend complaining that you’re always late. Maybe you seldom return your friend’s phone calls. When a friend ends your relationship, try to find out the reasons why the friendship is over.
● Writer a letter to your friend .
Express you feelings about the friendship. Do you miss seeing them? Do you have any regrets? Would you act differently if you were still friends? Make it an honest communication.
● Express you feeling of being hurt or anger.
Write or talk about how you feel in a letter. When a friendship is over, it’s important to communicate exactly how hurt you feel, and why. Write until you have nothing left to say. When a friend ends your relationship, you do have the right to express yourself.
● Communicate that you are open to pick up the friendship .
When a friendship is over and you want to reconnect some day, send Christmas, or birthday cards. Say hi and send greetings through mutual(共有的) friends. When a friendship is over, don’t give up until you’re ready.
● Decide to make your present friendships better.
An adviser once told me that simply talking about your relationship strengthens your relationship. Talk to your present friends. Are they happy with your friendship? If a friend ends your relationship, learn something from it.The underlined phrase “reflecting on” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
| A．keeping on | B．giving up | C．thinking about | D．getting angry |
What can we know from “See if you can find a problem.”?
| A．You are always late when you and your friend plan to go out. |
| B．Perhaps your friendship is over because of your problem. |
| C．Your friend is fond of complaining all the time. |
| D．You often refuse to answer your friend’s phone calls. |
When a friendship is over, you may do all the following EXCEPT .
| A．ask your friends whose fault on earth it is |
| B．talk about how you feel about your friendship |
| C．write a letter to your friend to tell your regrets |
| D．send your greetings to your friend before giving up |
Thousands of years ago, birthdays were considered special days. On birthdays, the bad spirits were able to harm you and change your life. It was believed that the only way to solve the problem was to have your friends and family around you, so that good wishes and presents would keep the bad spirits away. Also, noisemakers were thought to be used at parties as a way of scaring away the evil spirits.
The custom of lighting candles was created by people believing that the gods lived in the sky. By lighting candles and torches, they were sending a signal or prayer to the gods, so they could be answered. Blowing out the candles and making a wish were thought to be another way of sending a signal or a message.
This is how the way we celebrate our birthdays came about. But different cultures celebrate in different ways.
The birthday story in the Bible（圣经） that we know best is about the birth of the Christ in Bethlehem（地名：伯利恒）. For nearly 2000 years since that day, the Christian world has been honoring this birth. The day many Englishmen celebrate is, of course, Christmas. There are other references to birthday parties. King Pharaoh celebrated his birthday by making a feast for his court followers. That was over 4000 years ago. The story of King Herod tells that on his birthday he made a supper for his lords, high captains and other special friends in Galilee (地名：加利利).According to the passage, good wishes and presents given by one’s friends and family on his birthday can _____________________.
| A．cheer him up |
| B．push bad spirits away |
| C．bring him a big fortune |
| D．prove that he’s a popular person |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．People send messages to the gods by lighting or blowing out the candles. |
| B．The gods celebrate their birthdays by lighting candles. |
| C．The custom of lighting candles originated with the gods. |
| D．The gods will help people realize their dreams on their birthdays. |
The two ancient kings’ ways of celebrating their birthdays show__________________.
| A．how great the two kings were |
| B．that their court followers were awarded the special honors |
| C．the two kings’ excellent cooking skills |
| D．how different cultures celebrate in different ways |
The passage is mainly about __________________.
| A．the functions of the noises made on birthdays. |
| B．how to scare away the bad spirits on birthdays |
| C．how birthdays came about |
| D．the origin of a famous day Christmas |
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