According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)，the U．K．has about 7．7 million families with dependent children，of which 3．7 million have just one child，compared to 3 million with two and 1．1 million with three children or more．The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade．As the ONS confirms，“It appears that families are getting smaller．”
One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they are bound to be less fertile．But it could just as well be a matter of choice．Parents must consider the rising cost of living，combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market．And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal，which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet，where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread about how fab it is to have an only child”．
She had received 231 replies，overwhelmingly in the same upbeat spirit．Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits．Nicola Kelly，a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one，says her 15 year old son seems more grown up in many ways than his contemporaries．
Not all products of single child families are as keen to repeat the experience．In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart”as a reaction to her only child upbringing．
She was placed on a pedestal by her doting parents，whom she punished with a “brattish，wilful” rejection of everything they stood for．Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly shattered by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”．
Writer and clinician Dr．Dorothy Rowe，a member of the British Psychological Society，says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted，while other children see the advantages of their situation．
However，the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older．
The passage is written with the purpose of ________．
| A．illustrating the strength and weakness of having an only child |
| B．analyzing the reasons why having an only child becomes popular |
| C．presenting us with different opinions about having an only child |
| D．guiding people to look at the same issue from different perspectives |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean？
| A．Nearly half of families intend to have just one child． |
| B．All people don’t stand for the idea of having an only child． |
| C．Some people fail to recognize the advantage of having an only child． |
| D．People brought up in an only child family resist downsizing the family． |
From what Dr．Dorothy Rowe said，we know that ________．
| A．journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood |
| B．she has a positive attitude towards Janice Turner’s reaction |
| C．it’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle |
| D．some are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions |
What can be inferred from the passage？
| A．It’s normal to see the imperfection in character in only children． |
| B．Mumsnet is an online forum which promotes having an only child． |
| C．Economic development plays a determining role in the family size． |
| D．Only children will have difficulty in attending to their parents． |
Little Brother
By Cory Doctorow, 382 pages, $19.95
In the very near future, Marcus Yallow is walking with his friends in San Francisco when a 9/11-sized terrorist attack occurs blocks away. Everyone around is secretly taken away by the Department of Homeland Security to see whether they're terrorists. However, during the investigation, one of his friends dies mysteriously. The friends try to find out the truth. If you read only one science-fiction novel this year, make it this one.
The Flying Troutmans
By Miriam Toews, 274 pages, $32
The heart of the book is a road journey in Canada made by Hattie，Thebes and Logan to find Cherkis, the kids' dad. It's rich in dialogue, sometimes funny, sometimes surprisingly sad, always character-true. Toews is an extraordinarily gifted writer, with tough-minded compassion (同情) for her characters.
Reading By Lightning
By Joan Thomas, 388 pages, $22.95
We're in 1930s Canada, where Lily's father arrived three decades earlier to be promised fertile agricultural land. But they had been cheated and thrown in the middle of Manitoba. Now William Piper and his wife farm their land and place little hope in this life.
What They Wanted
By Donna Morrissey, 325 pages, $32
A father has a heart attack; a brother and a sister leave Newfoundland and go to Alberta, Canada to work； a tragedy brings reconciliation (和解), but also terrible loss. Primarily a novel of character, it's also a novel of Canada, of two very specific and vividly drawn places. Donna Morrissey's characters are troubled, sensitive, quick to be moved to anger or pain, and just as quick to laughter and affection.If Jim only has 20 dollars, which book could he buy?
| A．The Flying Troutmans. | B．What They Wanted. |
| C．Little Brother. | D．Reading By Lightning. |
According to the text, we know that The Flying Troutmans is .
| A．full of dialogue | B．a sad story |
| C．about tourism | D．a real story |
In Reading By Lightning, why did William Piper arrive in Canada?
| A．To carry out his promise. | B．To` work in a big city. |
| C．To get work experience. | D．To seek his fortune. |
If you want to know about two different places of Canada, whose novel is the best choice?
| A．Cory Doctorow's. | B．Miriam Toews's. |
| C．Joan Thomas's. | D．Donna Morrissey's. |
When I recall my experiences of feeling heard and deeply understood by someone, I know how much the experiences helped me to cope With (对付) whatever I was dealing with at the time. Caring people who I have turned to in difficult times helped me the most by listening and asking about my feelings.
During one of my volunteer jobs at a local HIV and cancer clinic, I found the helpfulness of empathic (感情移入的) listening. As a volunteer I was providing emotional support for people with health related problems. Empathic listening really made a difference on how patients felt about their health problems. By sharing about their pain and suffering and my willingness to listen, they felt less alone.
We can make life easier for each other by becoming a better listener and encouraging each other to share our feelings. We can become a better listener by avoiding giving advice and trying to solve problems unless we are asked to do so. Pressuring others to solve their life problems—“our ways”— is not helpful. Most people intuitively (凭直觉地) know how to solve their own problems. As a listener it's important to be patient and not to interrupt the speaker. Let them know it's OK to talk about their feelings and support them in feeling their feelings.
When one neither shares nor reaches out for support, he or she can remain a lonely mystery. Life can feel lonely when one keeps everything inside. Feeling alone with life problems can be worse than the problem itself. When we let a caring person listen to our life struggle, we will no longer feel alone with our struggle. Don't be afraid to ask your loved ones to take time to hear you out .Sometimes you have to ask for it. People cannot read your mind. Confiding in others can have a positive effect on our mood. What made the author comfortable in difficult times?
| A．Persuading | B．Sharing | C．Apologizing | D．Complaining |
According to the second paragraph, we can know that .
| A．the patients enjoyed listening to the author |
| B．the author found empathic listening was helpless |
| C．the patients didn't get on well with the author |
| D．the author did a good job at a cancer clinic |
What does the underlined part“Confiding in others”in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Telling others your secrets. | B．Reading others' mind. |
| C．Listening to others. | D．Leaving others alone. |
What's the main idea of this passage?
| A．Listening and sharing can make you happier. |
| B．People know how to solve their own problems. |
| C．It is wrong to give advice to solve problems. |
| D．You should learn to believe in other people. |
Mike McClure walked into Sarasota Bay for a little fishing on a beautiful day last April. This afternoon, the water was shallow enough at low tide that McClure could easily walk 100 yards offshore and cast (投) his line in any direction.
Near sunset, still without a fish, he decided to turn back. Rather than turn to his earlier course, he chose a more direct path toward shore, thinking the bay wouldn't get deeper along the way. Instead, he was trapped. He tried to walk in different directions, but shallower water eluded (避开) him. Finally, he decided his safest choice was to head straight for land.
"Within about five steps, the water was coming in through the top of the waders (高筒防水胶靴)," says McClure.
He felt the deadweight（重物） of the flooding waders pulling him down and knew that if he didn't get out of them, he would drown. But he failed to kick his way out of the waders. Instead, they pulled him completely below the surface.
Back onshore, Eliza Cameron, 19, Loren Niurka Mora, 20, and Caitlin Petro, 20, had been watching McClure fish as they rested on the grass after a long week of classes. They saw McClure go under and then heard him cry, "Help!"
The three friends kicked off their shoes and ran into the bay. They were all good swimmers, but all hid a fear that he might pull them down too because they'd have to dive to save him.
When they reached him, he'd managed to kick himself out of the waders, but his eyes had partly rolled back. Cameron and Mora each hooked (钩住) an arm under his shoulders, while Petro supported his back and held his hand. Then the three friends tried their best to tug (拉) him towards shore. Finally, they all returned to the shore safely.Mike McClure didn't turn back by his earlier course because .
| A．he wanted to choose a short course |
| B．his earlier course was dangerous |
| C．he just wanted to take a risk |
| D．he knew where the water was deep |
What directly trapped Mike McClure in the bay?
| A．His wrong decision. |
| B．The coming high tide. |
| C．His waders' being flooded. |
| D．The depth of water. |
During the rescue, .
| A．the three women were afraid of being trapped in the water |
| B．Cameron and Petro helped catch Mike McClure's arms |
| C．the three women removed Mike McClure's waders |
| D．Mike McClure still wore his flooding waders |
What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Enjoy fishing on a beautiful day. |
| B．Help others when they are in trouble. |
| C．A terrible experience during fishing. |
| D．How to rescue people when they’re drowning. |
It's certain:for twins,life really does imitate art.My twin brother,Kirk,and I grew up being constantly mistaken for each （处理这个问题） other.Classmates,friends,teachers,even relatives couldn't tell us apart. As a result,we were often unfairly punished or rewarded.
Eventually,we learned how to use the Mistaken Identity Syndrome (MIS) to our advantage.For example,we would play tricks on our friends and classmates,pretending to be the other twin.Nor were teachers immune(不受某事物影响) to our tricks.On at least one occasion,when Kirk was sick,I covered for (替代) him by taking his tests.We also tried our little game out on Mom,but she always knew who was who.Once we grew up，we even covered for each other at work.We didn't mean any harm;we simply started this as an experiment to see whether our bosses and co-workers could tell the difference.
As a bank manager, I meet with dozens of clients(顾客) on a daily basis, while my brother manages a staffing service for local employers. As a result, Kirk is constantly approached by people who want to discuss their various money accounts, while I'm frequently thanked on the street as a department store customer service representative.
However, the MIS took a truly embarrassing turn when Kirk and I found ourselves unable to tell each other apart. Once, my brother and I were traveling in a car with several friends. My brother's hair must always be in place. Kirk was driving when he noticed in the rearview mirror (后视镜) that his hair was a bit messy.
He lifted his right hand to brush his hair back into place and was disturbed when his hand didn't appear in the mirror. Several times he repeated this action. Finally, he started laughing.According to the first paragraph, we know that .
| A．few people can tell the author from Kirk |
| B．the author was punished more than Kirk |
| C．the author was always rewarded though he was wrong |
| D．being twins is really a good thing for both twins |
According to the passage, the Mistaken Identity Syndrome is .
| A．a kind of disease difficult to cure |
| B．the situation of mistaking identities |
| C．the tricks that children like to play |
| D．the way to separate two similar things |
It can be inferred that when the author covers for his brother at work， .
| A．he is often successful |
| B．he means to harm his boss |
| C．his brother is seriously ill |
| D．he often behaves strangely |
Why did Kirk laugh at last?
| A．He felt embarrassed about his hair. |
| B．His brother's hair was really messy. |
| C．His brother was doing the same thing. |
| D．He became the victim of the MIS. |
No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Famous dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However, they are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or Le Monde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed description of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.
Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the “sensational” which feature crime and gossip(闲谈), to the “serious”, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions, American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with the attraction of television.
Just as American newspapers satisfy all tastes, so do they also try to attract readers of all political parties. A few newspapers support extremist(极端主义的) groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers try to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are moderate(中立的). Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.
As in other countries, American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals(丑闻) or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair(水门事件). The Newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War.There are fewer national newspapers in .
A. Britain than in the USA. B. France than in Britain
C. the USA than in Britain or France
D. France than in the USA or BritainMost American newspapers try hard to entertain their readers because
.
| A．they have to keep up a good relation with them |
| B．they have to compete with television |
| C．they have to write about crime and gossip |
| D．they have to give factual news in an interesting way |
Many American newspapers attract readers of different political preference by .
| A．supporting extremist groups from time to time |
| B．inviting middle-of-the-road Americans to write articles for them |
| C．avoiding carrying articles about extremists |
| D．printing articles representing different political viewpoints |
The passage is mainly about .
| A．the characteristics of American newspapers |
| B．the development of American newspapers |
| C．the functions of American newspapers |
| D．the advantages and disadvantages of American newspapers |
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