I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz (爵士音乐) concert last Friday. The advertisement (广告) in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theatre box in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9:00 to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theatre was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unluckily, the theatre is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round (往返的) trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for the bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip. So I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again the next day. On Thursday, my luck changed. I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and headed back (奔回) across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth it to hear the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, however, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.The man learned that there would be a concert last Friday ________.
| A．from his friends | B．from one of his workmates |
| C．over the radio | D．from the newspaper |
One day the man took ________ to get to the theatre by bus.
| A．forty-five minutes | B．fifteen minutes |
| C．just twenty minutes | D．over an hour |
The underlined word “relieved” may best be replaced by “________”.
| A．worried | B．pleased | C．puzzled | D．sorry |
The writer mainly shows us his _____________.
| A．enjoyment of the concert |
| B．anger for buying the ticket |
| C．efforts to buy the ticket |
| D．disappointment at the concert |
In many cultures white is often associated with something positive. A white-collar job, for instance, is the kind of job many people look for, working with your brain and not your hands.
White has a clean and pure image. That is why doctors, dentists, and nurses usually wear white uniforms. Babies are dressed in white at baptisms（洗礼）and brides wear white wedding gowns at weddings. White in these cases is the symbol of innocence or purity.
Sometimes white is used in expressions that are not good. “Whitewash” is one such expression. At first, “whitewash” meant to paint over something with white paint to make it look better. However, it means something different today: to hide or to cover up mistakes or failures.
A “white elephant” is another example of white used in a negative way. In ancient Thailand, a white elephant was regarded as a sacred animal, but it was very expensive to keep. The kings of those days presented a white elephant to the people they wanted to ruin. Once they received this holy, royal animal as a gift, they were not allowed to sell or kill it. Today, a “white elephant” means something that is big, useless, and unwanted. In America, when people want to get rid of their furniture or clothes, they often have a “white elephant sale”.The text is mainly about________.
| A．the meanings of white in English culture |
| B．the history of some English idioms |
| C．some interesting customs in English culture |
| D．some useful English words and expressions |
Which expression has an historical background ?
| A．White-wash. | B．White-collar. |
| C．White elephant. | D．White elephant sale. |
In which statement does “white” have a negative meaning?
| A．A boy is dressed in white at baptisms. |
| B．A bride wears a white wedding gown. |
| C．A man whitewashes his crime. |
| D．A girl finds a white collar job. |
From the text we can learn that _______.
| A．a white-elephant sale is useful to the poor |
| B．the white color is important in our daily life |
| C．a white-collar job used to be easy to get |
| D．expressions with white have different meanings |
The author develops the text mainly by ______.
| A．analyzing its cause and effect |
| B．providing typical examples |
| C．comparing different ideas |
| D．following the time order |
Every American family has its own traditions on Thanksgiving Day, and mine is no different. Once the national holiday arrives, my mom rises early to make the meal. She puts a turkey in the oven, chops carrots and bakes pies. I’m sorry to say that the men in the family – my dad, my younger brother and myself – rarely pitch in to help. Our job is to wash the mountain of dirty dishes after the meal is over.
Around 2 pm every Thanksgiving Day, family members seat themselves around the kitchen table. Plates of turkey, vegetables, salad, rolls and pies cover it. At this point, we can hardly keep ourselves from drooling (流口水) all over our fancy clothes, but it’s not yet time to eat.
First, we must bow our heads, close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks aloud to God for giving us everything we have. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem making a list of things I am thankful for. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, who aren’t wealthy, took out loans to help me pay for university.
But, the funny thing is, every time I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to say a prayer of thanks, my mind usually goes blank. I think it has something to do with my growling (咕咕叫) stomach and all of that food sitting right there under my nose.
Eventually, though, we all finish our short prayers and dig in. To be sure, the day includes other highlights – visiting with family and watching football. But usually around 6 pm we are all ourselves stuffed like turkeys and thankful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in. The purpose of the text is to ________.
| A．tell what the family do for Thanksgiving Day |
| B．tell how the family spends Thanksgiving Day |
| C．introduce foods served on Thanksgiving Day |
| D．introduce the American Thanksgiving Day |
On Thanksgiving Day the author’s family do the following except ________.
| A．watching a movie | B．making visits |
| C．having a big meal | D．watching football |
Why does the author’s mind usually “go blank” when saying a prayer of thanks?
| A．He is too thankful to say a word. |
| B．His mind is on the food before him. |
| C．He feels too excited to speak. |
| D．He is shy to speak in public. |
The underlined phrase “dig in” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.
| A．chat with others | B．make a hole |
| C．mix things up | D．start eating |
What can we conclude from the text?
| A．On Thanksgiving Day, men do nothing but eat. |
| B．The author is a middle school student. |
| C．The author’s family is not rich, but it’s a loving one. |
| D．Thanksgiving Day falls on Thursday of December. |
Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow．While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union．Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families．
Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to （＝before） marriage．Not only do the prospective（预期的） marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings．Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider．
As for any family， the basic ingredient（成分） of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual（相互的） respect．However， love alone is not enough．Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily．
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success．Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit．Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved．Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully．
By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent（矛盾的） loyalties， lingering（持久的） hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams．The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable．However， there are ways to confront（面临） and resolve them．For example， support groups and professional counselors（法律顾问） are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming（压倒性的）．
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly．It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort．Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily．Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection．According to the passage， there are in the United States．
| A．no stepfamilies | B．more stepfamilies than ever before |
| C．fewer stepfamilies than ever before | D．fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones |
Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？
| A．The pursuit of the same careers． | B．Professional interventions（干涉）． |
| C．The development of special interests． | D．Careful planning before the marriage． |
Many people believe that contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily．
| A．everlasting loyalties | B．open communication |
| C．kindness and mutual respect | D．persistent（持久稳固的） affection |
It is natural for a stepfamily to be ．
| A．unrealistic | B．complicated | C．ambivalent | D．guilty |
According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is ．
| A．impossible | B．satisfying and rewarding |
| C．discouraging and frustrating | D．a difficult and trying experience |
Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty．In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old．
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States．The Gallup（民意调查） Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008．At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five．
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry．They also asked about mental or emotional stress．
Arthur Stone at Stony Brook University in New York led the study．His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five．The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties．Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies．The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties．
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older．One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions．They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences．
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry．
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single．But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age．
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older．However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men．What can be the best title of the text?
| A．Happiness Varies with Ages | B．Experience More, Worry Less |
| C．The Older, the Wiser | D．Being Young, Being Happy |
We can learn from the research that _________．
| A．only when people get older will they feel happier |
| B．stress levels among the youngest are the highest |
| C．older people tend to be grateful |
| D．older people usually have no worries |
According to the research, when people get older, _________．
| A．they miss the old days | B．they are physically weak |
| C．they have better self-control | D．they are more emotional |
What would the author probably talk about next?
| A．What influences happiness． | B．How to live better． |
| C．How to keep happier． | D．Why women are less happier． |
The author is intended to _________．
| A．advise how to reduce stress | B．introduce a scientific finding |
| C．describe how to do research | D．talk about human emotions |
SHANGHAI - Health experts in Shanghai are calling for more protection for young children as the latest research shows about half of the youngsters are suffering from secondhand smoke．
About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in families, 50 percent in public places, and almost 6 percent on public transportation, shows a research released by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center on Tuesday．
"Not only adults but also children and newborn babies are at risk for the adverse effects of passive smoking," said Tang Jingyan, a doctor at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center．
"Actually, those young children whose bodies are still growing and developing are more sensitive to the effects of secondhand smoke．"
Research has shown that children who are exposed to secondhand smoke will suffer from more colds, coughs and sore throats, and they are more likely to suffer from bronchitis, pneumonia and will have a higher risk of developing cancer．
Doctors even suggested that children suffering passive smoking are more likely to have behavioral problems and may not develop mentally as quickly as their peers．
Other research by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center has found that more than 80 percent of child patients in the center live in a smoke-filled household, where one or both parents smoke．
"Though doctors have stressed the harm of passive smoking over and over, it is still hard to reach a totally 'smoke free' home," said a pediatrician named Zhang Yiwen, noting that parents are often tempted to smoke even though they have learned the harmful effects of secondhand smoke．
China has 540 million people suffering from passive smoke, 180 million of them younger than 15．The age of smokers is also getting lower, earlier reports said．
"There are more young smokers than before．You can see young people wearing a school uniform and carrying a schoolbag light a cigarette on the street．Some of them are even female students," said Jing Xingming, a professor of children's developmental behavior at the center．
"Children like to imitate adults, especially their parents．If parents often smoke at home, it is very likely children will develop a smoking habit, which can cause a vicious circle," Jin said．
Reports from the Ministry of Health said China has about 350 million smokers, of whom 15 million are underage smokers．Also, around 40 million of the country's 130 million children aged between 13 and 18 had tried smoking, and 15 million had become addicted to tobacco．What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．About half of the youngsters are suffering from secondhand smoke． |
| B．Experts are calling for more protection for youngsters from smoking． |
| C．More and more youngsters are picking up the habit of smoking． |
| D．Smoking does great harm to the health of the youngsters． |
What kind of the youngsters most possibly develop a habit of smoking?
| A．Children of non-smoking mothers． |
| B．Children of non-smoking fathers． |
| C．Children of heavy smokers． |
| D．Children from some smoking centers． |
Which of the following disease may not be connected with secondhand smoking?
| A．Cancer． | B．Behavioral problems． |
| C．Sore throats． | D．Coughs． |
The underlined word "vicious" in the last paragraph but one most probably means ___________．
| A．complete | B．simple | C．great | D．bad |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．About 80% of the children in the Shanghai Children's Medical Center smoke heavily． |
| B．About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in the Shanghai Children's Medical Center． |
| C．About 540 million people are heavy smokers in China． |
| D．Children aged between 13 to 18 are more likely addicted to smoking． |
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