Singles' Day ---- the Chinese opposite of Valentine’s Day has turned into a massive online shopping event. It is a day when single people are supposed to buy themselves presents. But there are sociological reasons behind China's “celebration” of single life. And the imbalance could have big consequences for the country.
There were 34 million more men than women in China in 2011. Part of that is natural – usually there are 105 boys born for every 100 girls. But the Chinese gender ratio (性别比例) at birth is much more obvious. It was 116 boys to 100 girls in 2012. The one child policy is largely to blame. Brought in to limit population expansion, the policy allows only one child per family. But because male children are seen as more valuable, as well as more likely to support their parents in old age, some parents choose to have a son over a daughter. The result is that large numbers of men will likely never get married. In fact, one study has predicted that by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese men in their 30s will never have married, while another states that 94% of unmarried people in China are men.
Traditionally, China has seen high levels of marriage, usually among the young. Besides, the increased education and career opportunities for women have meant that marriages are happening later. It is also traditional that women often marry men of a higher socioeconomic status than themselves. So women at the top and men at the bottom find themselves alone. One study has even suggested a link between an imbalanced gender ratio and growth in violent crime in the country.
Singles’ Day can’t solve all the problems China’s singles face. Indeed, it is possible that it is causing even more problems, as men resort to increasingly risky lines of work to increase their chances of gaining money and thus a wife. I am worried that as money starts to overcome romance, there is evidence that China ' s marriage market is increasingly materialistic.
In 2012, if 50 girls were born, how many boys were probably born?
| A．50. | B．52. | C．58. | D．60. |
What made women in China get married late?
| A．Their support of the government’s late marriage policy. |
| B．Their higher education level and more work chances. |
| C．That they expect to enjoy their single time when young. |
| D．That there are too many excellent young men to choose from. |
What’s the writer’s attitude to the imbalance gender ratio in China?
| A．Optimistic | B．Concerned |
| C．Indifferent | D．Unknown |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．Singles' Day is celebrated all over the world. |
| B．by 2030, 1 in 5 Chinese women in their 30s will be out of marriage. |
| C．an imbalanced gender ratio is related to the growth in violent crime. |
| D．Singles' Day will solve all the problems China’s singles face. |
Perhaps the most famous theory, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor
Ray Birdwhistell. He believe3s that physical appearance is often culturally programmed. In other
words, we learn our looks--- we are not
born with them.A baby has generally informed face features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those
around- family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some areas of the UNITED States look so much alike, new Englanders or Southerners have certain common face features that can not be explained by genetics (遗传学). The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth it is learned after. In fact the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set. For many this can be well into grown-ups. A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look somewhat alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas. In the US for example the south is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less and in the western part of New York States still less. Many southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly partly because people in Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peachtree Street in Atlanta Georgia. People in largely populated areas also smile and greet each other in public less than people in small towns do. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ___________.
| A．has little to do with culture | B．has much to do much culture |
| C．is ever changing | D．is different from place to place |
According to the passage the final mouth shape is formed _________.
| A．before birth | B．as soon as one’s teeth are newly set |
| C．some time after new teeth are set | D．around 15 years old |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what area of the US a person is from by _______.
| A．how much he or she smiles |
| B．how he or she raise his or her eyebrows www.91beidou.com |
| C．what he or she likes best |
| D．the way he or she talks |
This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with .
| A．physics | B．chemistry | C．biology | D．none of the above |
We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang．Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived．I introduced my two daughters to each of them．The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smile．They said she was a remarkable girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big "to do" over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt．We do it with the best of intentions.
But we seldom think of how it might affect the other child．I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was being outshined．I was about to serve dinner 
when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes．I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.
I said, "What are you doing, my dear?"
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, "Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I ‘m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?"
I tried to explain to her, kissing and hugging her to make her feel better.
Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” (paragraph 4) means ______.
| A．show much concern about | B．have a special effect on |
C．list jobs to be done  for |
D．do good things for |
The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs because of her ______.
| A．beautiful hair | B．pretty clothes |
| C．lovely smile | D．young age |
Kristen felt sad and cried because ______.
| A．the guest gave her more coats to carry |
| B．she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly |
| C．the guests praised her sister more than her |
D．her mother didn’t introduce her to th e guests |
We can conclude from the passage that ______.
| A．parents should pay more attention to the elder children |
| B．the younger children are usually more easily hurt |
| C．people usually like the younger children more |
| D．adults should treat children equally |
“Congratulations, Mr. Jones, it’s a girl.”
Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different 
answer from every
Man who hears these words. Some feel proud when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good fathers．Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experi
ence with them， others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them．Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for som
e time．For other couples， pregnancy was an accident that both husband and wife have accepted willingly or unwillingly.
Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child， it is obvious that the shift from the role of husband to th
at of father is a difficult task．Yet， unfortunately， few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this remobilization process．Although numerous books have been written about American mothers， only recently has literature focused on the role of a father.
It is argued by some writers that the transition to the father‘s role， although difficult， is not nearly as great as the transition the wife must make to the mother‘s role．The mother‘s role seems to require complete transformation in daily routine and highly innovative adaptation; on the other hand， the fathers role is less demanding and immediate．However， even though we mentioned
the fact that growing number of women are working outside the home， the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household.According to the author，being a father_________.
| A．brings a feeling of excitement to some men |
| B．has a different meaning for those who have daughters |
| C．makes some men feel proud and others uneasy |
| D．means nothing but more responsibilities |
It is stated in the passage that__________.
| A．some parents are not prepared to have a child |
| B．young couples do not like children at all |
| C．do not have much time to take care of their children |
| D．many parents look forward to having a boy as their first child |
The transition to the mother‘s role requires that the wife__________.
| A．change her lifestyle in a highly innovative way |
| B．make a complete change in her everyday life to deal with the new situation |
| C．stay at home to take care of the baby |
| D．help her husband in his remobilization process |
Some writers argue that with respect to the change of roles， fathers， compared with mothers， ___________.
| A．have to shoulder more burdens |
| B．have to make more difficult adaptations |
| C．have an easier job to do |
| D．can usually do a better job |
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other b
ecomes unhappy. This arises form the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix heir attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually 
dissatisfied. by their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend (hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing （批评）and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation（模仿）. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. Of they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a work to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many 
will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad bait and bee pleased with is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and other. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact（接触）with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and
Sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes missed up in their quarrels.People who are unhappy .
| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
C．usually misu nderstand what others think or say |
| D．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “ ”.
| A．have a good taste with social life | B．make others unhappy |
| C．tend so scold others openly | D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．we should pity all such unhappy people |
| B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
Pete took his seat this day on his usual bench in Union Square．Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years Pete had taken this same seat exactly at one o'clock, and each time the same pleasant thing had happened．But this time Pete had come here more from habit than from hunger．Certainly today Pete was not hungry．Two rich old ladies gave him a Thanksgiving dinner of everything he could eat．
Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move．The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst．The November breeze and the first light fall of snow felt cool and pleasant to his face．He happened to look to the left and there in the distance he saw the old Gentleman coming toward him．He wanted to get up and run, but he was so full of food he stayed right there．Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years, the Old Gentleman had come there, found Pete on this same bench, and then taken him to a restaurant and bought him a Thanksgiving dinner．It was a kind of tradition which the Old Gentleman, who had no family and lived alone, had tried to continue．
"How do you do' "said the Old Gentleman．" Glad to see that the changes of another year have permitted you to move in health through this beautiful world．"
Each time the Old Gentleman had said exactly this same thin? It was part of the tradition．Pete, too, began to feel as though he himself was now a part of the tradition, and he therefore did not have the courage to tell the old man that he had already eaten．This dinner seemed to mean so much to the Old Gentleman.
"Thank you, sir, " said Pete at last. “I’ll go with you gladly. I’m very hungry, sir.” Together the Old Gentleman and Pete walked south to the same restaurant where each year Pete had his Thanksgiving dinner. The Old Gentleman seemed pleased and happy. When the waiter brought dish after dish of food to Pete, the Old Gentlenman sat quietly and smiled．Under the circumstances, Pete had to eat．It was part of the tradition, and so he ate like a hero, although when he entered the restaurant even the smell of food almost made him sick．At last Pete leaned back with the battle won．
" Thank you, sir, " he said, with some effort, " for a fine dinner．"
They parted as they did each year at the door, the Old Gentlemen going south, Pete north．
Around the corner, Pete stopped for a moment, felt a terrible pain in his stomach, and then fell to the sidewalk unconscious．A little time later an ambulance came．In the hospital they discovered that he had had an attack of indigestion （消化不良）.
An hour later, another ambulance brought the Old Gentleman to the same hospital．At first they thought it was also indigestion but later one of the nurses said, "That nice old gentleman over there—you wouldn't think that it was a case of hunger．"Where did Pete and the Old Gentleman meet every Thanksgiving Day?
| A．In the restaurant． |
| B．In Union Square． |
| C．At the Old Gentleman's house． |
| D．At the hospital． |
Which of the following sentences in the passage doesn't show Pete was full?
| A．Pete sat on the bench now, hardly able to move． |
| B．The buttons on his ragged shirt and coat were about to burst． |
C．Glad to see that the changes of another year have  permitted you to move in health through this beautiful world． |
| D．When he entered the restaurant even the smell of food almost made him sick． |
The underlined sentence "I'm very hungry, sir．" in Paragraph 5 implies that .
A．Pete didn't have the heart to refuse the offer |
| B．Pete was so greedy that he wanted to have another dinner |
| C．Pete was suffering from hunger |
| D．Pete enjoyed having the Thanksgiving dinner for free |
Which of the following words can best describe the Old Gentleman?
| A．Self-centred. | B．Mosdest. |
| C．Stubborn． | D．Generous |
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