Today only one person in five in the United States lives within 50 miles of his birthplace. Since the country was first settled, Americans have moved around a great deal, and are often far away from their parents. Because they have broken ties with their past at a young age, chosen their own occupations, established their own homes and developed their own lifestyles, few American children grow up closely surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as they do in Italy, Nigeria, or India, for example. This along with the fact that modern American families do not have servants has made the “baby-sitter” a vital part of the American scene. A “sitter” is someone who is hired to care for children for a specific length of time—usually relatively short—while the parents are out for an evening, going to a party or a course of study for example. Sometimes the baby-sitter is also hired for longer period, perhaps when the parents are away for a weekend. In such cases the “sitter” is likely to be a mature and motherly woman. For short periods, teen-agers, college students, nursing students, and others are commonly employed on an hourly basis.
From the point of view of convenience, the best sitters are often young people who live in your apartment building or close by in the neighborhood. This gives you a chance to meet the parents and see what they are like. If an emergency occurs, young sitters can call upon their parents quickly for help; you do not have to take them far to see them home at night or pay expensive taxi fares. Another advantage is that young people living close by can usually fill in quite readily on short notice or for short periods of time.
In an apartment house you can ask the superintendent for permission to post a notice for a baby-sitter by the mailboxes. This is often the best way to find out if there is anyone in the building who is interested in baby-sitting. Retired people as well as students are often glad to earn a little money in this way and can be found by such a note.
小題1:A baby-sitter is a person who________.
A．helps to do housework
B．is a cleaning woman
C．looks after children while their parents are out
D．takes care of babies and cooks for the family
小題2:It is advised that when you are out for short periods, you may hire________ to be baby-sitters.
A．motherly womenB．retired people
C．young peopleD．mature women
小題3:The best title for the passage is________.
A．American FamiliesB．Baby-Sitters
C．A Way of Earning Money for Young StudentsD．A Best Way to Find Baby-Sitters
 
小題1:C
小題2:C
小題3:B
略
練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
On August 26,1999,New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm.The rain caused the streets to  51 and the subway system almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately,this happened during the morning rush hour.Many people who were going to work were  52 to go home.Some battled to  53 a taxi or to get on a bus.Still others faced the  54 bravely,walking miles to get to work.
I  55 to be one of people on the way to work that morning.I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most  56 had stopped.After making my way 57 crowds of people,I finally found a subway line that was  58 .Unfortunately,there were so many people waiting to  59 the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the  60 .So I took the train going in the opposite direction,and then switched back to the downtown train.Finally,after what seemed like forever,the train  61 my stop.Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain.When I finally got to my office,I was  62 through,exhausted and  63 .
My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off.When it was 5∶00 pm,I was ready to go home.I was about to turn off my computer  64 I received an email from Garth,my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and  65 reported to work.It is always reassuring (令人欣慰),at times like these,when employees so clearly show their  66 to their jobs.Thank you.
Garth’s email was short,but I learned more from that  67 message than I ever did from a textbook.The email taught me that a few words of  68 can make a big difference.The rainstorm and the traffic  69 had made me tired and upset.But Garth’s words immediately  70 me and put a smile back on my face.
小題1:
A．breakB．floodC．sinkD．crash
小題2:
A．forcedB．refusedC．a(chǎn)djustedD．gathered
小題3:
A．orderB．payC．callD．search
小題4:
A．climateB．sceneryC．stormD．burden
小題5:
A．usedB．promisedC．deservedD．happened
小題6:
A．practiceB．routineC．processD．service
小題7:
A．toB．throughC．overD．for
小題8:
A．operatingB．cyclingC．turningD．rushing
小題9:
A．checkB．carryC．findD．board
小題10:
A．streetB．groundC．floorD．platform
小題11:
A．pausedB．crossedC．reachedD．parked
小題12:
A．wetB．weakC．sickD．hurt
小題13:
A．a(chǎn)shamedB．discouraged C．surprisedD．puzzled
小題14:
A．whileB．whenC．whereD．a(chǎn)fter
小題15:
A．hardlyB．casuallyC．a(chǎn)bsolutelyD．eventually
小題16:
A．devotionB．donationC．connectionD．reaction
小題17:
A．a(chǎn)ccurateB．urgentC．briefD．humorous
小題18:
A．promiseB．a(chǎn)ppreciationC．a(chǎn)dviceD．guidance
小題19:
A．troublesB．signalsC．rulesD．signs
小題20:
A．correctedB．supportedC．a(chǎn)mazedD．refreshed

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Can you imagine exchanging the pleasure of city life for a quiet life in the countryside?
Many people want to move from the country to the city because they think that life in the city is more exciting and better than that in countryside, especially young people who like new, modern things. People like popular things and feel that they can only find the latest styles in the city.
However, it is possible to enjoy the higher quality of country life and still enjoy some of the advantages of living in the city.
Nowadays, traveling is fast and easy, and information can be found on the Internet, so many people are able to do their work in home offices. Because they have e-mail and personal computers, they don’t have to be in big cities to manage their businesses. It is not important where they actually work because the results of their work can be sent everywhere with e-mails. Therefore, there is no need to put up with all of the disadvantages of the city. Now they can escape busy city life to enjoy the quiet country life and still be able to have successful jobs.
Other people are interested in technological things and high-tech jobs and think they can only find them in big cities. If they want to find a job, especially a good position in a company, they think that they have to live in a city. For these jobs, they are willing to put up with many of the disadvantages of city life, such as crime, heavy traffic, and pollution.
小題1:The main idea of this passage is that         .
A．life in the city is different from life in the countryside
B．people prefer living in the city to living in the countryside
C．cities have more disadvantages than the countryside
D．more and more people like living in the city
小題2:With the development of      ,people can enjoy life in the countryside as comfortably as they can in the city.
A．e-mail technologyB．personal computers
C．transportation and computersD．business
小題3:According to the passage, what does the countryside have but cities don’t have?
A．Technology.B．Traffic.C．Education.D．Natural environment.
小題4:What is the author’s attitude towards city life?
A．He is for it.B．He is against it.
C．He likes neither.D．He shows no opinion.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

If you struggled to get up for work on Wednesdays, there could be a good reason--it is the day our mood reaches its lowest point. Monday has traditionally been thought of as the most depressing day of the week but according to psychologists, midweek gives more cause for concern in reality. Wednesday represented the lowest point in the week as people were furthest away from the weekend that has either just gone or is coming up and often feel too tired to go on with work.
However, psychologists have found that, on average, people's moods remain about the same on each day throughout the week.
To start their research, the University of Sydney scientists asked around 200 people what they thought their mood would be on each day of the week.
Most said their worst moods were on Monday mornings and evenings but they became increasingly cheerful as the week went on, with their best moods falling on Friday and Saturday mornings and evenings.
When asked why they believed that Friday and Saturday were best, respondents said they saw them as less-structured days when they could choose how to spend their time.
The psychologists then asked a further 350 people how they felt each day.
They found that, on average, people's moods remained about the same on each day throughout the week.Mondays were not as depressing as they had feared and Fridays and Saturdays were not as exciting as predicted.
Professor Charles Areni, who led the study, said the day-of-the-week stereotypes (陳詞濫調(diào)) stem from a cultural belief that people are generally happier when they are free to choose their activities compared to when they are engaged in paid work.
In reality, he said, weekends do not often see moods change because they are frequently dominated by productive activities that may require large amounts of energy and begin to feel tired like work. "Day-of-the-week stereotypes like Monday morning blues and Thank God It's Friday are largely illusions," he said.
小題1: _________ has always been thought as the unhappiest day of a week.
A．MondayB．WednesdayC．FridayD．Sunday
小題2:People don’t like Wednesday because ________.
A．work seems to be endless on Wednesday
B．it is the most-structured day of a week
C．they have just had their weekend
D．weekend is still a couple of days’ away
小題3: Which of the following is the finding of the research mentioned in the passage?
A．All of the people asked admitted that on Monday they had the worst moods.
B．Saturday and Sunday were the best because people could plan their time freely.
C．There was no sharp difference in people’s moods between each day of the week.
D．Different people had different ideas about which day was the worst in a week.
小題4: Charles Areni believes that the day-of-the-week stereotypes results from________.
A．the productive activities requiring a large amount of energy
B．the cultural belief that doing paid work is usually less pleasant than doing freely chosen work
C．the illusions of day-of-the-week stereotypes
D．the days in a week when our mood reaches its lowest points

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Since the 1950s, most of the stars of pop music have come from Britain and America. Howver, in the last ten years, when many different kinds of music have established themselves on the pop scene, more and more stars have come from other countries.
Pop music changes all the time and new stars appear and become famous. For a musician to stay popular and still produced good, original music over a long period of time, is a sign of true star.
Most stars start their careers in a simple way---- playing in unknown night clubs or dance-hall where people want to dance to the music, not listen to it. They may have continued doing this for many years untill they get a “break”---- a chance to perform in a well –known place or get a recording contract. To become a star is the aim of every singer or musician and the dream of many a pop-crazy teenager.
However a group or star makes it to the top, they can be sure that their lives will change once they are successful. Ordinary teenagers living at home with their parents may suddenly find themselves rich enough to buy their own houses. An established superstar may be able to buy several.
Despite the large amount of money that are earned, life at the top is not easy for many stars.. The pop scene is hard work and many stars need to spend a lot of time away from home. For a lot of them, this means they have no home life and their personal relationships suffer. Despite great public success, life at the top can be very lonely.
小題1:Since the 1950s,most of the stars of pop music have come from______.
A．AmericaB．America and Britain
C．America and EuropeD．other countries
小題2:According to the passage， a “break” may mean a chance to ______.
A．perform in a well-known concertB．get a recording contract
C．play in dance-hallsD．meet a lot of pop-crazy teenagers
小題3:If a star becomes successful,.he ______ according to the passage.
A．will live at home with their parents
B．will have an easy life because of the larger amount of money earned
C．may have a happy home life and good person relationships
D．may have a lonely life

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A classic series of experiments to determine the effects of overpopulation on communities of rats was conducted by a psychologist，John Calhoun．In each experiment，an equal number of male and female adult rats were placed in an enclosure（場(chǎng)地）．The rat populations were allowed to increase．Calhoun knew from experience approximately how many rats could live in the enclosures without experiencing stress due to overcrowding．He allowed the population to increase to approximately twice this number Then he fixed the population by removing the children that were not dependent on their mothers．At the end of the experiments，Calhoun was able to conclude that overcrowding causes a breakdown in the normal social relationships among rats，a kind of social disease．The rats in the experiments did not follow the same patterns of behavior as rats would in a community without overcrowding．
The females in the rat population were the most seriously affected by the high population density（密度）．For example，mothers sometimes deserted their children，and，without their mothers’care，the children died．The experiments showed that in overpopulated communities，mother rats do not behave normally．Their behavior may be considered diseased and pathological（病理學(xué)的）．
The leading males in the rat population were the least affected by over population．Each of these strong males claimed an area of the enclosure as his own．Therefore，these individuals did not  experience the overcrowding in the same way as the other rats did．．However leading males did behave pathologically at times．Their antisocial（反社會(huì)）behavior consisted of attacks on weaker male，female，and immature rats．This unusual behavior showed that even though the leading males had enough living space，they too were affected by the general overcrowding．
Non-leading males in the experimental rat communities also exhibited unusual social behavior．Some withdrew（縮回） completely ,avoiding contact with other rats．Other non-leading males were too active，chasing other rats and fighting each other．
The behavior of the rat population has similarity in human behavior．People in densely（密） populated areas exhibit unusual behavior similar to that of the rats in Calhoun’s experiments．In large urban areas，such as New York City，London，and Cairo，there are deserted children．There are cruel，powerful individuals，both men and women．There are also people who withdraw and people who become too active．Is the major cause of these disorders（混亂）overpopulation?
Calhoun’s experiments suggest that it might be．In any case，social scientists and city planners have been influenced by the results of this series of experiments．
小題1:Which of the following inferences（推斷）can NOT be made from the first paragraph?
A．Overpopulation causes pathological behavior in rat populations．
B．Calhoun had experimented with rats before．
C．Calhoun’s experiment is still considered important today
D．Stress does not occur in rat communities unless there is overcrowding．
小題2:The author implies that the behavior of the leading male rats is sometimes similar to that of
A．people who would like to keep to themselves
B．people who abandon their children
C．too active people
D．cruel，powerful people
小題3:The main point of this passage is that _______________．
A．a(chǎn)lthough rats are affected by overcrowding，people are not
B．overcrowding may be an important cause of social pathology
C．the social behavior of rats is seriously affected by overcrowding
D．Calhoun's experiments have influenced many people

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Shanghai: Car rentals (出租)are becoming more and more popular as an inexpensive way of taking to roads. Business people, foreign and families alike are making good use of the growing industry.
The first car rental firm opened in Shanghai in 1992 an dnow 12 car rental players are in the game, with more than 11,500 cars in their books.
The largest player-Shangha Bashi Tourism Car Rental Center offers a wide variety of choices-deluxe sedans, minivans, station wagons, coaches. Santana sedans are the big favorite.
Firms can attract enough customers for 70 percent of their cars every month. This fighure shoots up during holiday seasons like National Day, Labor Day and New Year’s Day, with some recording 100 percent rental.
The major market force rests in the growing population of white-collar employees (白領(lǐng)雇員), who can afford the new service, said Zhuang Yu, marketing manager of Shanghai Angel Car Rental Co.
小題1:The words “deluxe sedans, ” “minivans” and “station wagons” used in the text refer to_________.
A．cars in the makingB．car rental firmsC．cars for rentD．car makers
小題2: Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
A．70% of the cars can be rented out on holiday.
B．70% of the customers are white-collar employees.
C．More firms are open for service during holiday seasons.
D．Some firms rent out all their cars during holiday seasons.
小題3:Shanghai’s car rental industry is growing so fast mainly due to_________.
A．better cars supplied by producers
B．fast service offered by car rental firms
C．the increasing number of white-collar employees
D．people’s growing interest in traveling during holidays

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Many boys love reading about the legends of old pirates (海盜) and dreaming of their own wild adventures. But modern pirates are not a thing of the past. Last month Somali pirates did their boldest hijacking (劫持) to date. They seized the Saudi supertanker (超大型油輪) Sirius Star carrying crude oil worth about $100 million. They demanded $15 million to free the ship and its crew.
The pirates have kept hitting the headlines this year: 92 attacks have been attempted, with 36 successful hijackings and 268 crew members taken hostage (人質(zhì)). The Chinese fishing ship Tianyu 8, with 17 Chinese and 8 foreigners on board, has been in their hands since November 14.
Of course piracy (海盜行為) is nothing new. Even since there has been water and ships there have been pirates. The earliest documented history of pirates dates back to the 13th century in the Mediterranean Sea. Even the famous Roman emperor Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates.
Piracy reached its peak in the mid-1700s. It was during this time in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa that men like “Blackbeard the Pirate” made this profession attractive. But with the creation of stronger national Navies piracy became less popular around the world.
In the mid-20th century, most pirates were petty (小規(guī)模的) thieves. They used hooks to sneak (偷偷摸摸) on board ships at anchor, and grabbed all that they could find. These pirates were more likely to flee than fight if faced by the crew.
However, nowadays piracy has become a multi-million-dollar business at tracting many in poor countries. Pirates are treated like heroes among local fishermen.
They use satellite phones and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Once they spot their target, they swarm the ship with fast boats and shoot it by firing AK-47s or even rocket-propelled grenades (火箭榴彈炮). Then they hold the ship and its crews for money.
“The world should take forceful actions together to fight piracy,” said leaders at the Asian and Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru.
“However, putting in anti-piracy army can only be half of the solution. We have to protect the fair chance of Somali fishermen to get a good living and keep them from the lure of easy money,” said Peter Lehr, a lecturer in terrorism studies.
小題1: When did piracy reach its peak?
A．In the 13th century. B．In the mid-1700s.
C．In the mid-20th century. D．November 14, 2008.
小題2:What does the underlined sentence probably mean?
A．Pirates were very bold at first.B．Pirates were very popular then.
C．Pirates were very attractive then.D．Pirates were not so bold at that time.
小題3:According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．The pirates have committed 92 crimes successfully this year.
B．Piracy became more and more popular as the national Navies became powerful.
C．Nowadays, pirates are learning to use modern weapons to commit crimes at sea.
D．On November 18, a Chinese ship was attacked by a suspected pirate ship.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Wall Street is the banking center of New York City. But how did the street get its unusual name? To find out, we must go back to the early years of exploration in North America.
New York City was first called New Amsterdam by the explorer Henry Hudson. He was working for a Dutch trading company when he entered what is now the lower Hudson River area in the year 1609. There he found an island that was a perfect trading harbor. The Manhattan Indians lived there.
Dutch traders built a town on the end of Manhattan Island. It became a rich trading center. But the British questioned the right of the Dutch to control the area. The two nations went to war in 1652.
The governor of New Amsterdam, Peter Stuyvesant, worried that British settlers in New England would attack his town. He ordered that a protective wall be built at the north edge of Manhattan. The wall was more than 2,290 feet long. It extended from the Hudson River to the East River.
The British never attacked New Amsterdam. So the wall was never tested in war. But the path beside it became known as Wall Street. Later, Wall Street became a street of banks and business.
Dealing in stocks and shares in the stock markets began in the 17th Century. An informal market developed around the coffee houses in the City of London gradually. In 1773 “New Jonathan’s” Coffee House became the informal Stock Exchange, and it was formally established till 1802. at that time London was the largest share market, and the growth of the Industrial Revolution helped the establishment of local share markets in other parts of the country --- more than 330 of them when there were most. These markets first began moves towards combination in 1890, when the Council of Associated Stock Exchanges was formed. By 1967 all the “Country” Exchanges had got together themselves into six regional exchanges, and in 1973 all seven exchanges in the British Isles came together to form The Stock Exchanges of Great Britain and Ireland, and its member firms spread from Aberdeen to the Channel Islands and from Lancaster to Limerick.
1.    Manhattan was named after _____­­­­_____.
A. a Dutch explorer
B. a British colonist
C. an Indian tribe
D. the Dutch governor
2.    The British and the Dutch went to war in 1652 because __________.
A. they both liked the rich island
B. they both wanted to have Wall Street
C. they both wanted to control the rich area
D. they had questions in some aspects unsolved
3.    The wall _________.
A. was used in the war
B. was never used in the war
C. was destroyed later
D. was so weak that the British never tested it
4.    In 1773 “New Jonathan’s” Coffee House became _________.
A. the place the merchants had their ventures
B. an informal stock exchanges
C. a formal stock exchanges
D. the biggest market in Britain

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案