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Across Britain, burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers, But, according to a new study, we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year.
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work. Now, the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours, they would earn as much as＄172,000 a year.
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do, as well as the hours they are working, to determine the figure. This would make their yearly income ￡30,000 more than the Prime Minister earns.
By analysing the numbers, it found the average mother works 119 hours a week,40 of which would usually be paid at a standard rate and 79 hours as overtime. After questioning 1,000 mothers with children under 18,it found that ,on most days, mums started their routine work at 7am and finished at around 11pm.
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour, it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on, including housekeeper, part-time lawyer, personal trainer and entertainer. Being a part-time lawyer, at ￡48.98 an hour, would prove to be the most profitable of the “mum jobs”,with psychologist（心理学家）a close second.
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face, with 80 percent making emotional（情感的） demand as the hardest thing about motherhood.
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends.
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother’s Day. The emotional ,physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending, but children are also sources of great joy and happiness. Investing（投入）in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent.How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister?
| A．￡30,000. | B．￡142,000. |
| C．￡172,000. | D．￡202,000. |
The biggest challenge for most mothers is from.
| A．emotional demand | B．low pay for work |
| C．heavy workload | D．lack of training |
What is stressed in the last paragraph?
| A．Mothers’importance shows in family all year long. |
| B．The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile. |
| C．Mothers’devotion to children can hardly be calculated. |
| D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return. |
What can we conclude from the study?
| A．Mothers’working hours should be largely reduced. |
| B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest. |
| C．Mothers’labour is of a higher value than it is realised. |
| D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life. |
When traveling abroad, it is wise to carry your money in traveler's checks because checks are protected against loss or theft. If your checks are lost or stolen, the issuing authority will refund(赔偿) your money.
Not only are they safe, they are also convenient. They are available in different currencies and they can be cashed at most banks throughout the world. Most shops, hotels and restaurants also accept them.
Traveler's checks are very easy to use. When you collect them, you sign each check once. The cashier enters the amount in your passport. When you cash, you sign each check again. The cashier will usually ask to see your passport again too.
To get traveler's checks you usually go to your bank. They can be paid in cash or in other ways. Large amounts, however, must be ordered in advance.
For the safety and convenience of traveler's checks, you are charged two commissions(佣金，酬劳): an insurance commission when you buy them and an encashment commission when you cash them.
It is suitable to make a note of the serial numbers of your checks. Keep this separate from your traveler's checks.People like to carry their money in traveler’s checks when traveling abroad, because______.
| A．they cannot be lost or stolen |
| B．they can be used anywhere |
| C．they are safe and handy |
| D．they can save travelers plenty of money |
If your traveler's checks are lost or stolen, who will refund you?
| A．The authority that issues you the passport. |
| B．The insurance company. |
| C．The bank where you buy your checks. |
| D．The travel agency that arranges your travel. |
You sign your traveler’s check for the second time in order to ________.
| A．get your passport | B．cash it |
| C．claim insurance | D．pay for commission |
Which of the following statement is TRUE?
| A．You need not pay a commission for the safety of your traveler’s checks. |
| B．People usually get traveler’s checks from foreign banks. |
| C．Traveler’s checks can be exchanged for the money of the country you visit. |
| D．You cannot get your passport until you get your traveler’s checks. |
Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all the new plants and animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.
There are several major language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language. About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families. The early language had ________.
| A．a lot of problems | B．words and easy grammar |
| C．words but no grammar | D．grammar but not many words |
In the next few hundred years we can expect language to _____.
| A．stay exactly the same |
| B．change a great deal |
| C．change only a little |
| D．ask more words and drop some grammar |
What this article shows is that _____.
| A．languages change fast |
| B．languages really don't want to change |
| C．language really with changes in society |
| D．Spanish and English change |
In Canada you can find dogs，cats，horses，etc．in almost every family．These are their pets．People love these pets and have them as their good friends．Before they keep them in their houses，they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections so that they won’t carry disease．They have special animal food stores，though they can get animal food in almost every kind of store．Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food．When you visit people’s houses，they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them．You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden．All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal．They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada．They have a law against killing wild animals．If you killed an animal，you would be punished．If an animal happened to get run over by a car，people would be very sad about it．
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals．One of them might be：Their family ties are not as close as ours．When children grow up， they leave their parents and start their own life．Then the old will feel lonely．But pets can solve this problem．They can be good friends and never leave them alone． The passage mainly talks about _________．
| A．how to keep disease from pets |
| B．pets in Canada |
| C．how to take good care of pets |
| D．life of the old in Canada |
In Canada，children leave their parents when they grow up because _______．
| A．they don’t love their parents any more |
| B．they can only find jobs far from their parents |
| C．their parents’ houses are too small |
| D．they wouldn’t depend on their parents any more |
Which of the following is TRUE？
| A．People buy animal food only at the animal food stores. |
| B．Pets eat better than people． |
| C．Almost every family has a birdcage in his house． |
| D．Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat． |
The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us. I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him. “I … I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir,” he said．“Thank you very much!”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a swindler? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?” I asked. He nodded. “That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.” He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _________.
| A．the boy was greedy |
| B．the boy had suffered a lot |
| C．the boy was in bad need of money |
| D．the boy was good at bargaining |
The second time the author met the boy, the boy _________.
| A．told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts |
| B．wanted to express his thanks |
| C．asked him for money for his schoolbooks |
| D．tried to take advantage of him |
The author gave his money to the boy because _________.
| A．he wanted to make himself feel better |
| B．he had learnt to help others since childhood |
| C．he held a higher position in the society |
| D．his parents asked him to do so |
What does the underlined word “swindler” mean?
| A．troublemaker | B．beggar | C．thief | D．cheat |
Which of the following best describes the boy?
| A．Brave and polite． | B．Kind and smart. |
| C．Honest and thankful． | D．Shy and nervous. |
Men have always believed that they are smarter than women. Now, a study has found that while this is certainly true, men also have to deal with the fact that they are also more stupid than the fairer sex.
In the study, scientists measured the IQ of 2500 brothers and sisters and they found an uneven number of men not only in the top two percent, but also in the bottom two percent.
The study's participants were tested on science, maths, English and mechanical abilities.
Though there were twice as many men as women in the smartest group, there were also twice as many men among the bottom.
The aggregate（总数）scores of men and women were similar.
One of the study's authors, psychology professor Timothy Bates, said that the phenomenon may be because men have always been expected to be high achievers and women have been restricted to spend more time taking care of their homes.
"The female developmental program may be tilted more towards ensuring survival and the safety of the middle ground.," the Daily Mail quoted Professor Bates, of Edinburgh University, as saying.
The research tallies with past results that men were more likely than women to receive first class University degrees or thirds and women secured the seconds.
It has been said that men are more ready to take risk when it comes to academics. Women have always found to be steadier in their learning.
A past study has shown that women are securing more firsts and seconds, while men are continuing to receive more thirds.
The argument for the change is that the increase of coursework at the cost of exams favors women's steady approach.The purpose of the passage is to tell us that ________.
| A．man are smarter then women |
| B．man are more stupid the women |
| C．a new fact about the IQ of men and women has been found |
| D．men are more likely to receive first class university degrees |
According to Timothy Bates, less women are in the smartest group because _________.
| A．they are born stupid |
| B．they have to spend more time to tale care of their homes than men |
| C．they don’t like to take risk |
| D．they are not expected to be high achievers |
The underlined word tallies with in the eighth paragraph means________.
| A．agree with | B．deal with | C．go against | D．go with |
It can be inferred from the passage that_________.
| A．Women are steadier in their learning. |
| B．men are more ready to take risk in everything |
| C．women are securing more firsts and seconds |
| D．women are doing much better in academy |
Which of the following questions has NOT been discussed in the passage? _________.
| A．Why are men smarter than women? |
| B．Why are men more stupid than women? |
| C．How does the result go along with the past research? |
| D．How can we help the men in the bottom? |
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