Tang Zhou and his wife are planning to have their second child, a test-tube baby. His wife had a natural delivery when she was 34 and their first child, a boy, is now 7. The couple are now hoping to have a daughter through a surrogate mother in the US. “My wife couldn’t bear another delivery because of her heart condition and her age. Surrogacy helps avoid the risks to older mothers,” Tang said, “Moreover, our second child will be born in the US and become a citizen there. That is not a bad choice.”
The couple spent weeks researching their move, looking for a reliable agency that provides surrogacy services overseas. Surrogacy is still illegal in many countries, including China. “We will be taking much higher risks by relying on a surrogate mother in China because we are not protected by any regulation or law. You pay a lot of money but may meet with many problems,” Tang said. “You might not even get your baby back.”
Tang and his wife are part of an increasing number of Chinese couples who are turning to surrogacy services. Tang also considered surrogacy in Thailand but dropped the idea after recent reports about a baby with Down Syndrome(唐氏综合症) who was delivered through surrogacy and said to have been deserted in Thailand by the biological parents from Australia. Instead, Tang chose the California Surrogacy Center agency as his first option after reading the detailed introduction on its website. Compared with many other agencies that he could contact only via e-mail, the center has a consulting office in Beijing, Tang said.
The center is in San Diego, California, and has satellite offices in Los Angeles and Beijing. According to Liu, the center has been operating for more than eight years, and about 100 surrogate mothers live in California.“A surrogate mother” refers to a mother who _______.
| A．acts as a baby-sitter |
| B．nurses another woman’s baby |
| C．offers service to a new mother |
| D．gives birth to a baby for another woman |
Which of the following is True according to the passage?
| A．Chinese couples prefer to have a test-tube baby. |
| B．Couples face no risks in surrogacy services. |
| C．A sick test-tube baby was deserted in Thailand. |
| D．Unhealthy test-tube babies can be legally abandoned. |
Tang and his wife turned to overseas surrogacy services because _______.
| A．surrogacy remains illegal in China |
| B．they call for less money |
| C．it is more convenient to contact them |
| D．most of them are experienced |
The passage mainly tells us that ________.
| A．an old woman can take a risk of delivering a baby |
| B．more Chinese couples are turning to surrogacy |
| C．it’s not a bad choice to have a baby born overseas |
| D．biological couples may fail to get their babies back |
Swim Birthday Parties
Ages 3 and up.
Pool parties are during recreation swim in the 25-yard pool. Each party consists of an hour of celebration in a private room. Parties are for 1—5 children. All non-swimmers or children requiring floatation must be at arm’s length from the pool and accompanied by an adult or guardian.
Please contact Sarah Hagan 762—8384x210.
Fee: Members $ 175/Non-members $225
Youth Fitness Birthday Parties
Leave the party activities to us! Your party package includes:1/2 hour set-up,1 hour program time including equipment,props,etc.1 hour party time for cake,presents,etc.,1/2 hour clean-up time and 1 or 2 hours specialists. Parents supply decorations, food and paper goods. To schedule a Youth Fitness Birthday Party, call Mary Ann Genuario (x282).
Fee:$295 for up to 10 children,$10 each additional child—16 children maximum. Non-member price available upon request.
The Art Spot Birthday Parties
The Art Spot offers a variety of creative fine art parties for Ages 4—Adult! We supply the invitations, a balloon bouquet(花束), paper goods, project materials and a party host; all you need to bring is the cake!
Parties are one and a half hours, the first hour the group create their art project, and last 1/2 hour is for cake and presents! Parties are usually held on Friday nights and weekends but weekday parties are available.
Cost: $21 per child.
Rain or shine there’s no better place than the Art Spot for your child’s next party!
Nursery School Birthday Parties
If planning a party is not your thing, let us do the work for you! We offer a variety of pre-planned parties to choose from. You may also do a combination of 2 parties for boy/ girl parties. All parties are on Saturday afternoons between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and are one and a half hours in length. Parties include a craft or activity and paper goods. You may arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time to set-up. To schedule a party please contact Kim Murphy(x214).
Fee(Up to 15 children):$200 Members/ $250 Non-member,$15 each additional child.The phrase “be at arm’s length” probably means“ ”.
| A．be as careful as possible |
| B．be as long as an arm |
| C．be as near as possible |
| D．be as faraway as possible |
If 12 children take part in Youth Fitness Birthday Parties, they will pay .
| A．$ 455 | B．$315 | C．$ 200 | D．$250 |
If your child joins in the Art Spot Birthday Parties, he will .
| A．swim in the 25-yard pool |
| B．spend half an hour to clean up |
| C．create his own art project |
| D．o activities with other kids |
What information can you get from the passage?
| A．You can schedule the party when it is convenient for you. |
| B．The number of people for these parties is limited. |
| C．ou need to bring nothing to join in the birthday parties. |
| D．All of these birthday parties center on a special theme. |
When I was growing up, I was ashamed to be seen with my father. He was severely disabled and very short, and when we would walk together, his hand on my arm for balance, people would stare. If he ever noticed or was bothered, he never let on.
It was difficult to coordinate（协调）our steps—his slow, mine impatient—and because of that, we didn’t say much as we went along. But as we started out, he always said, “You set the pace. I will try to adjust to you.”
He never talked about himself as an object of sympathy, nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or able. What he looked for in others was a “good heart”, and if he found one, the owner was good enough for him. I believe that is a proper standard by which to judge people, even though I still don’t know accurately what a “good heart” is.
Unable to join in many activities, my father still tried to participate in some way. I now know he participated in some things indirectly through me, his only son. When I played ball (poorly), he “played” too. When I joined the Navy, he “joined” too. And when I came home on leave, he saw to it that I visited his office. Introducing me, he was really saying, “This is my son, but it is also me, and I could have done this, too, if things had been different.” Those words were never said aloud.
He has been gone many years now, but I think of him often. I wonder if he sensed my unwillingness to be seen with him during our walks. If he did, I am sorry I never told him how sorry I was, how unworthy I was, how I regretted it. I think of him when I complain about small affairs, when I am envious of another’s good fortune, when I don’t have a “good heart”.
At such times I put my hand on his arm to regain my balance, and say, “You set the pace. I will try to adjust to you.”The author felt unhappy walking with his father because ________.
| A．he felt sympathy for his father’s physical disability |
| B．it was hard for them to walk at the same pace |
| C．he didn’t want others to know he had an ugly father |
| D．it was not easy for his father to keep balance |
In the father’s view, the most important quality a good person should have is ________.
| A．beautiful appearance | B．excellent health |
| C．a smart head | D．a good heart |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A．the father was proud of his only son |
| B．the father took part in all his son’s activities |
| C．the author was upset when asked to his father’s office |
| D．the author was an outstanding player |
According to the last paragraph, by saying “You set the pace. I will adjust to you.” the author means that ________.
| A．he is now glad to help his father to walk |
| B．he regrets his unwillingness to walk with his father |
| C．he will follow Father’s standards of being a good man |
| D．he will never forget how mentally strong his father was |
I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”（风格）of directions every time I ask “ How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused（困惑的）in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks（地标）in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “ Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “ Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance in time, not miles. “ How far away is the post office?” you ask. “ Oh,” they answer, “ it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “ Yes, but how many miles is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “ Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “ I don’t know”. People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually _______ .
| A．describe the place carefully |
| B．show him a map of the place |
| C．tell him the names of the streets |
| D．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A. New York. B. Los Angles.
C. Kansas C. IowaPeople inYucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________ .
| A．in order to save time | B．as a test |
| C．so as to be polite | D．for fun |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| C．People have similar understanding of politeness. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
How can Omar’s class help?
Omar’s class at school learned about taking care of our planet. Children in his class worked hard at collecting newspapers, cans, and bottles. Their teacher took what they collected to a company where the things would be recycled(回收) and used again. Omar hoped that doing this would make progress toward cleaning up our Earth. Omar wished that they could do more. Then Omar’s teacher gave the class this form.
| Who? |
Children from all the schools in our city |
| When? |
Saturday, November 16 Buses will leave from the parking lot at City Park at 8:00 A.M. They will return at 3:00 P.M. |
| Where? |
Padre Island on the Texas coast |
| What should you bring? |
Lunch and something to drink; Work gloves (We will have gloves to give to children who do not have a pair.) |
| What should teachers bring? |
Empty bags and small shovels(铲子) |
| When to sign up? |
By Wednesday, November 13 |
| Where to sign up? |
Have a parent sign at the back of this form to show that your family will permit you to go. Return this form to your teacher. |
After the cleanup, the children will ________.
| A．report to Mr. Smith |
| B．join the Clean Earth Club |
| C．go to the Pizza Palace |
| D．return the form to their teachers |
“I made a difference” in the passage probably means “________”.
| A．I was different from others |
| B．I became more interested than before |
| C．I did something for a friend |
| D．I made something better than it was |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Schools organized a general cleaning. |
| B．Children can help clean up our Earth. |
| C．More bottles are thrown away than cans. |
| D．Parents should go to clean up with children |
Everyone who has eaten instant noodles(方便面) before knows how it looks like. It is very easy to cook it instantly by putting the noodles into the boiling water and add in those MSG packets, together with your other ingredients(成分) like eggs or vegetables. However, have you ever wondered whether this is the correct way of cooking it? When you first took out the noodles from the packaging, you will notice that the noodles are joined together nicely as a piece. In order to make the noodles joined together nicely side by side, it needs some form of wax coating (石蜡涂层) to achieve an attractive instant noodles in front of us.
Many people who enjoy eating instant noodles frequently do not really bother too much of it, as it seems very normal to everyone to have it nicely displayed in front of us. However, researches have shown that the layer of wax coating on the noodles is quite harmful to our body and we should not eat it too frequently. It is advisable to have a break of 2-3 days before we start to eat another packet of instant noodles as our body need about 3 days to clear that layer of wax coating away from our body system. Do you know the danger of having too much wax coating stored in our stomach? It will lead to CANCER if it is stored in our body system for a long period of time.
There are 2 keys points to take note while preparing instant noodles: 1) Wash the instant noodles with warm water first, stir it and pour away the water containing the wax coating.
2) Repeat Step 1 and try to stir the noodles again to wash away the wax coating on the noodles before cooking it in a new pot of water.
Hope this article will let more people have self-awareness(自我意识) of the hidden danger of instant noodles and thus eat safely and stay healthy.What is the purpose of the writer to write the passage?
| A．To tell us how the instant noodles are made. |
| B．To tell us how to cook instant noodles. |
| C．To tell us something about the layer of wax coating on the noodles. |
| D．to tell us how to eat instant noodles safely and healthily. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The instant noodles are joined together in a mess as a piece. |
| B．It is common to see the noodles nicely joined together. |
| C．You can eat instant noodles as often as you like. |
| D．Too much wax coating does no harm to our health. |
Many people don’t care about too much of the wax coating on the instant noodles because_____.
| A．They enjoy the taste of the wax coating |
| B．They take the wax coating for granted |
| C．They don’t know the hidden danger at all |
| D．They can consume it faster than other people |
The function of the wax coating in the instant noodles is to______.
| A．make the noodles more delicious and tasty |
| B．make it easier to cook for the consumers |
| C．make the instant noodles healthier and more attractive to the consumers |
| D．make the noodles joined in a piece and avoid them sticking together |
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