Now some women are spending a weekend at Mother's Camp. There, husbands and children are not allowed. Why would a woman want to take a vacation without her family?
Some women say they need time to be alone.
At Mother's Camp a woman has room to herself. She can sleep, read or watch TV, and no one will bother her. No children will ask, "Mom, what's for dinner?" No husband will say, "Oh, dear, I can't find any clean socks." In fact almost 50% of women in the United States work outside the home. Many of them work full-time and then come home to a second job - taking care of their homes and families. These working women say one of their biggest problems is housework.
In the United States, working wives do about 75% of the housework. Many of their husbands say they want to help. But then they burn the rice or they can't find the pans. They ask so many questions that their wives decide it is easier to do the job themselves.
Some women go to Mother's Camp just to get a break from housework. For two days they don't cook, they don't clean, and they don't look after their children and husbands. What do they do? They enjoy warm, sunny weather, walking, swimming or boating in a clear blue lake and sing songs around the campfire. They relax away from home. They have a really wonderful vacation at Mother's Camp !
| A．Because they have too many friends. |
| B．Because they can't get along well with others. |
| C．Because they are too busy to relax themselves. |
| D．Because they have no time to do some shopping. |
| A．There are no husbands or children. | B．Women spend two days with their families. |
| C．Women can sleep, read or watch TV. | D．Women enjoy walking, swimming or boating. |
| A．Doing chores at home | B．Working outside the house |
| C．When to take a vacation | D．Looking after their children |
| A．almost all the women work outside the home |
| B．husbands do as much housework as their wives at home |
| C．women hate to stay at home with their husbands and children |
| D．working wives do so much housework that they want to get a rest |
| A．How busy working mothers are. |
| B．How to buy special gifts for mothers. |
| C．Mothers relax away from home. |
| D．Spending a vacation with mothers. |
IMAGINE a life without arms or legs !You can’t hold anyone in your . You can't walk anywhere with your feet. How would you spend a day like Nick Vujicic, the 29 -- year -- old Australian? 
Nick was born without limbs (四肢）, so life was for him. At school,many students played jokes on him he looked different from everyone else. He was refused to be their friends, so he always felt . However, he faced that bravely. He to type and write with two toes at the age of six, and he could even surf and p1ay golf in college, he was among the students in the studies. And he decided on to do later in his life--to encourage others to work hard.
Now Nick is a famous in the world. He travels to many countries and gives speeches about his story against difficulties." Living life fully is about looking at what you , not what you don't have." he said. His story encourages lots of people.
"I tell people to keep on getting up when they and to always love themselves," he said. "If I can encourage just one person, then my job in this life is done." A. arms B. ears C. eyes
A. easy B. difficult C. modern
A. because B. if C. although
A. lonely B. relaxed C. surprised
A. failed B. forget C. learned
A. excellent B. lazy C. sleepy
A. how B. who C. what
A. doctor B. speaker C. scientist
A. make B. have C. lose
A. listen B. play C. fall
阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。（共10分，每小题2分）
Confidence is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude. A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chance to make themselves successful. But how to be more confident? Here are some suggestions:
Speak loud When you are not confident, you can’t do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so low that other people can hardly hear you. Try to speak loud enough so that people can hear you clearly. The high voice can help you become more confident.
Play sports Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. A strong body helps you be full of confidence.
Encourage yourself Write down a list of things you did during the day to see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you’ve done.
Get rid of (消除) fear Fear comes along with failure. But it’s easy to overcome (克服) if you know that failure is part of your life. Don’t hide your head just because you said something stupid last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.
Pick up a hobby If you like singing, sing as much as you can. In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding. And it will make you happy and confident.
In a US study, researchers measured (测量) the happiness of 4739 people over 20 years. The study found that a person’s happiness depends on the happiness of people he connects with. Surprisingly, it also found that happiness spreads not only between direct friends, but also among friends of your friends’ friends! And those good feelings seem to have the greatest influence among friends of the same sex (性别).
“People with more good friends are less likely to develop depression (情绪低落) and worry,” says Dr. Toupey Luft. “Though you can’t choose your family or workmates, you do have control over friendships.” With a little effort, you can add more positive (正面的,积极的) relationships to your social circle. Here’re the suggestions:
“Nobody is all positive or all negative,” says Luft. “But there are people you may feel more positive. Use that as your way to check people and keep records.” When spending time with others, pay attention to your feeling. Are you feeling tired and unhappy？To help you keep records, Luft suggests taking a moment when you get home to write down what your feeling is when around them.
While it’s great to gather with positive friends, it’s also good to stay with others in the same life situations. “But if you’re all just complaining (抱怨) and nothing is changing, it’s not healthy,” says Luft. Are your friends negative, or are you doing most of the complaining? Considering the answers to these questions can help you decide if you want to stand in front of them. Or you could let the relationship disappear slowly.
Sometimes your hobbies can lead to true friendships. Check out newspapers and websites to find a group or class for something you enjoy. These friends can always be there for you and can care each other through difficulties, illness and death.
Not into groups? Look for individual (个人的) communication instead. Luft says, “Set small goals, such as having coffee with one new person, and develop friendship according to a plan. If someone suggests going for lunch sometime, set a date.”
“If you’re feeling disappointed (失望) with a friend, try talking about what you both need,” says Luft. For example, tell her what you want during hard times in your lives. While your friend may need to be left alone, you may want caring phone calls. With some friends you laugh and have fun together at the movies—and that can be enough. With others, you pay attention to your deep connection.
| A．How people you connect with feel. |
| B．How many friends you have. |
| C．What situation you are in now. |
| D．What kind of friends you have. |
| A．To measure our happiness. |
| B．To check people around. |
| C．To join a group for hobbies. |
| D．To leave negative friends. |
| A．We often have many friends during good times but few during hard times. |
| B．It’s necessary to complain about something but not right to do so for long. |
| C．Joining a group can bring better friendship than making individual friends. |
| D．All the suggestions tell us to add positive relationship to our social circle. |
| A．when your friend is sad, you should call her up |
| B．when your friend leaves you, you need comfort |
| C．friends’ needs may be quite different sometimes |
| D．people may behave differently during hard times |
It can be hard to meet people from another culture. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal (信号). Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize（强调）the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural（多元文化）environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
| A．keep each other company |
| B．share the same culture |
| C．get to know each other |
| D．develop closer relations |
| A．too many words are of no use |
| B．the English prefer to make long speeches |
| C．even talk and silence can be culturally different |
| D．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature |
| A．Multicultural Environment |
| B．Cross-Cultural Differences |
| C．How to Understand Each Other |
| D．How to Build Up a Relationship |
It was a cold winter afternoon before Christmas. My parents and I sat on the bench in Washington, D.C.’Union Station, waiting for the train. Inside the waiting hall were many people.
A boy sat nearby. His worn jacket, pale face, dirty hands all seemed to tell me that he was homeless.
“He must be cold and hungry. Maybe I should help him,” I said to myself.
Just at that moment, a well-dressed young couple walked towards him.
“Excuse me,” the man bent down. “My wife and I bought two meal boxes but one was enough for us. We hate to waste good food. Can you help us out and put this to use?” he handed the boy a meal box.
The boy thanked them and opened the box with joy and care. Suddenly he stopped. In the direction to which he looked, I saw an old man in rags-in a worn sweater, worn trousers and open shoes, entering the hall.
Putting the meal box aside, the boy stood and helped the old to his seat. He took off his jacket and covered it on the old man’s shoulders, saying, “A gentleman brought me this warm meal but I just finished eating. I hate to waste good food. Can you help me out?” He placed the still-warm meal box in the old man’s hands without waiting for an answer.
“Sure, son, but if only you share that sandwich with me. It’s too much for a man at my age. ”
We were all touched. Dad went away and soon returned with cups of hot chocolate and a big pizza. Mum and dad went up to those rags, “Excuse me…”
I rushed into a KFC and took out my pocket money. It was so cold that afternoon but I felt much warmer than I had ever thought possible.
| A．The young woman. | B．The old man. |
| C．The young man. | D．Mum and Dad. |
| A．He was not hungry. |
| B．He wanted to help the old man. |
| C．He didn’t like the food. |
| D．He saw a sandwich in the meal box. |
A. He bought some food for the homeless.
B. He told his story to the people in the KFC.
C. He gave his pocket money to the homeless.
D. He asked the other passengers to help the homeless.
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