Generational differences and the economy are shifting more responsibilities for children from their parents to grandparents, according to a new survey.
More than one-third of grandparents aged 50 and older contribute financially to their grandchildren’s upbringing, and 11 percent have a grandchild living with them, the poll by AARP showed.
40 percent of people who responded to the telephone survey, whose average age was 69, reported spending more than ＄500 on grandchildren over the past year beyond traditional gifts. Education costs accounted for about 50 percent, daily expenses for about 32 percent and medical and dental costs for about 18 percent.16 percent provided daycare for grandchildren.
“They are the safety nets for American families, helping to pay for practical expenses and necessities,”said Amy Goyer, AARP’s multigenerational and family issues (问题) expert.
“We see many providing daycare services, while growing numbers even have grandchildren living with them,”she said, referring to the 16 percent who watch their grandchildren while the parents are at work or at school.
Overall, nearly 90 percent of the 1,904 grandparents questioned said they play a very or somewhat important role in their grandchildren’s lives, and about 70 percent live within 50 miles of the closest one.
The poll conducted by Woelfel Research Inc. also showed that grandparents increasingly adapted to the younger generation’s life issues and preferred ways of communicating.
More than one-third connect with their grandchildren via email, Skype or text messaging, while half said they routinely discuss topics ranging from values to drug and alcohol use.
Nearly 40 percent said they had discussed dating or sex with at least one grandchild. About 60 percent said they spoke with their grandchildren at least once a week.
Most of the grandparents said they had five or more grandchildren, while one-fourth said they have grandchildren of a different race, mixed race or different ethnicity.According to Paragraph 3, what did the spending of over ＄500 last year NOT involve?
| A．Traditional gifts. |
| B．Education cost. |
| C．Daily expenses. |
| D．Medical and dental costs. |
When do the 16% of the grandparents polled take care of their grandchildren?
| A．When the parents are retired. |
| B．When the parents are working or buying gifts. |
| C．When the parents are at work or at school. |
| D．When there are three generations in the family. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?
| A．One-third of grandparents aged 50 and older assist in bringing up their grandchildren. |
| B．The grandparents surveyed offered nets to their grandchildren. |
| C．Many grandparents polled said they play an important role in their grandchildren’s lives. |
| D．A majority of the grandparents surveyed said they had five or more grandchildren. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．American grandparents are more responsible for grandchildren |
| B．Woelfel Research Inc. and AARP |
| C．Generational differences and the present economy |
| D．Grandparents and their grandchildren |
D
I grew up in a small town. I was only ten years old when my dad gave me the responsibility of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable (马厩). He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace. I washed dishes and cooked from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged.
One night, a woman executive (董事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I had my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man.
68. Why was the writer once known as a singing cook?
A. He was a cook at a country music club.
B. He sang for guests while he worked as a cook.
C. He often sang while cooking.
D. He liked singing better than cooking.
69. Who first recognized the writer’s talents and helped make him successful?
A. His brother. B. His manager. C. His father. D. A businesswoman.
70. It can be inferred from the passage that the ______.
A. writer’s success is partly due to his father B. writer’s family was very poor
C. writer succeeded easily D. writer’s first record was a total failure
C
What should I eat for breakfast? Who should I go out with on weekends? What should I do if I miss the bus to school? What colleges should I apply for? Again and again Chinese kids ask these questions to their teachers and parents. They can’t make their own choices.
Kids in America would be very surprised to hear how much Chinese children depend on adults. When they are ten years old, kids decide what clothes they want to wear and buy. By twelve they know what classes to take for middle school. Thirteen years old is the beginning of being what Americans call a “teenager”. Now the child is up to almost all his / her decisions. Finally at sixteen the kid usually gets a car from his / her parents.
Why should kids be independent? Think about it. After high school most of us will be by ourselves. Will our parents be able to tell us what to eat for breakfast in college? Can our teachers decide what we should do at work?
Making our own choices can be quite hard and scary. But we can start with making small choices, and then slowly make bigger and more important choices.
64. The first paragraph is written to tell the readers that Chinese kids ______.
A. don’t know what to do B. always have many questions
C. believe in their teachers and parents D. depend on adults too much
65. At what age can an American kid make most decisions by himself or herself?
A. Ten. B. Twelve. C. Thirteen. D. Sixteen.
66. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. American kids are more independent than Chinese kids.
B. American kids will more easily adapt themselves to society.
C. American parents don’t care for their children.
D. A sixteen American youngster can drive his / her own car.
67. In the writer’s eyes, ______.
A. dependence on adults is shameful in China
B. independence from adults is worth encouraging
C. kids have no ability to make a real choice
D. making decisions is rather easy
B
Today, robots come in all shapes and sizes. They can’t complain, even if the work is heavy and dangerous. And they can work or play all day without getting bored. Unlike a human’s arms, a robot’s joints will never get stiff (僵硬的). The end of the arm can be fitted with devices (装置) to perform different tasks. These could be a welding (焊接) point, suction cups (吸附杯) or gripping fingers (钳形指) for lifting and moving objects. Such an arm of these computer controlled industrial robots can work 24 hours a day.
Robopets (机器人宠物) are high-tech robots programmed to play. They can communicate with their owners and recognize their voices. Each one will develop a different “personality”. They can be a lot of fun to play with, but these robots can also be helpful to people who are sick and can’t look after a real animal. Many doctors believe that when a person is happy and laughing, their body recovers faster. A robopet might be just what the doctor ordered.
NeCoRo is a robot cat that has been developed to be more than a toy. The robot uses sensors (传感器) that can detect movement and sound. It can even store helpful information in its memory. Its behaviour changes over time, just like a real pet.
60. From Paragraph 1 we learn that ________.
A. a human’s arms never get stiff
B. robots sometimes get bored just as humans do
C. robots can do some work which humans can’t
D. robots can work all day but they can’t play
61. Rob pets are especially useful in ________according to the passage.
A. schools B. Hospitals C. cinemas D. factories
62. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. A robot never says “NO” to the dangerous work.
B. A robot can “remember” useful information.
C. NeCoRo is a robot dog.
D. NeCoRo’s behaviour changes over time.
63. What does the underlined word “detect” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Recognize. B. Create. C. Store. D. Destroy.
第三部分阅读理解 (满分30分)
A
Some scientists say that animals in the ocean are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines.
Some scientists have proposed setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels (分贝) in oceans. They have observed that noises at the level can frighten and confuse (使困惑) whales.
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that loud noises could seriously injure some animals. They found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died.
Some researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds object to (反对) a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research. Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists agree that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures (生物) in the ocean.
56. According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?
A. The man-made noises.
B. The noises made by themselves.
C. The sound of earthquakes.
D. The sound of ice-breaking.
57. Concerning the effect of noises on whales, which of the following is TRUE?
A. They are deaf to noises.
B. Noises at a certain level may hurt them.
C. Noises could kill them.
D. Noises will cause them to lose their eyesight.
58. Some scientists think that the noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels would _________.
A. prevent them doing their research work
B. benefit them a lot in their research work
C. do good to their health
D. increase the industrial output
59. According to the last paragraph, what will scientists most probably do in the future?
A. They will study the effect of different noises in the sea.
B. They will work hard to make no noise.
C. They will never do any scientific research in the sea.
D. They will protect sea animals from harmful noises.
D
Tess still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward, when a figure came out from the dark door of the tent. It was a tall young man, smoking.
He had an almost black face, though red and smooth. His moustache was black with curled points, though he could not be more than twenty-three or-four. There was all unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes.
“Well, my beauty, what can I do for you?” said he, coming forward. And seeing that she was quite at a loss: “Never mind me, I am Mr. d’Urbervilles. Have you come to see me or my mother”
This differed greatly from what Tess had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified face. She tried to keep calm and answered-“I came to see your mother, sir.”
“I am afraid you cannot see her-she is ill in bed,” replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alec, the only son of the noble family. “What is the business you wish to see her about?”
“It isn’t business-it is-I can hardly say what.”
“Pleasure”
“Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem…”
Tess’s sense of a certain ridicule was now so strong that despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved（弯曲）towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man.
“It is so foolish,” she stammered（结结巴巴地说）; “I fear I can’t tell you”
“Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear,” said he kindly.
“Mother asked me to come,” Tess continued, “and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself. But I did not think it would be like this. I came, sir, to tell you that we are of the same family as you.”
“Ho! Poor relations!”
“Yes.”
“Stokes”
“No; d’Urbervilles.”
“Ay, ay; I mean d’Urbervilles.”
“Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are d’Urbervilles. The local scholars hold the view that we are, …and…and we have an old seal（印章）and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you, as we’ve lost our horse by a bad accident; we can hardly make a living.”
“Very kind of your mother, I’m sure.” Alec looked at Tess as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy. ”And so, my pretty girl, you’ve come on a friendly visit to us, as relations.”
“I suppose I have,” looking less confident and uncomfortable again.
“Well—there’s no harm in it. Where do you live? What are you?”
—Tess of the d’Urbervilles By Thomas Hardy
67. How does Tess feel in the whole course of the meeting with Alec？
A. Excited and hopeful B. Nervous and uncomfortable
C. Surprised but comfortable D. Pleased but embarrassed
68. In the eyes of Tess, Alec is ________.
A. forceful and daring B. unfriendly and talkative
C. a gentle and reliable man D. older than she had expected
69. Why does Tess pay the visit to the d’Urbervilles？
A. To see Alec himself.
B. To see Alec’s mother.
C. To confirm that they are of the same family.
D. To make known their relationship and seek help.
70. Alec appears quite friendly to Tess mainly because ________.
A. Tess is his distant relation B. Tess looks polite to him
C. Tess is a pretty girl D. Tess looks ridiculous
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