Having a husband means an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, getting married saves an hour of housework a week. “It’s a well-known pattern,” said lead researcher Frank Stafford at University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. “Men usually work more outside the home, while women take on more of the housework.”
He points out that differences among households (家庭) exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. “And the situation gets worse for women when they have children.” Stafford said.
Overall, times are changing in the American home. In 1976, women busied themselves with 26 weekly hours of sweeping-and-dusting work, compared with 17 hours in 2005. Men are taking on more housework, more than doubling their housework hours from six in 1976 to 13 in 2005.
Single women in their 20s and 30s did the least housework, about 12 weekly hours, while married women in their 60s and 70s did the most – about 21 hours a week.
Men showed a somewhat different pattern, with older men picking up the broom more often than younger men. Single men worked the hardest around the house, more than that of all other age groups of married men.
Having children increases housework even further. With more than three, for example, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands’10 hours.
【小題1】According to the “well-known pattern” in Paragraph 1, a married man ________.

A．takes on heavier work	B．does more housework
C．is the main breadwinner	D．is the master of the house

【小題2】How many hours of housework did men do every week in the 1970s?

A．About 28	B．About 26
C．About 13	D．About 6

【小題3】What kind of man is doing most housework according to the text?

A．An unmarried man.	B．An older married man.
C．A younger married man.	D．A married man with children.

【小題4】What can we conclude from Stafford’s research?

A．Marriage gives men more freedom.

B．Marriage has effects on job choices.

C．Housework sharing changes over time.

D．Having children means doubled housework.

Think back to this time last year. What was on your mind?
Most likely, you were thinking about finals or the holidays, although in this city I’ve noticed that thinking about the holiday is a fancy way of saying how much stuff will I get.
Now reflect on your thoughts for this holiday season. Most people are still thinking about the holidays, but I say that with a grain of salt. Everybody with a functioning brain and the ability to communicate knows that this holioday season comes with a pretty large price tag: the debt of all the hardships, both domestic and foreign, that we’ve faced over the past 12months.
Let’s face it: some of us will get everything we want over the holidays. But there are others whose parents have lost their jobs or who have lost jobs themselves because of the current economic situation. As much as we try to ignore it, there is still economic unrest in the blue and gold suburb.
In this situation, we have three options. One: We ignore the situation, like we seem to do for every bad thing that happens around us, because by God, it’s the American Way! Two: We recognize that our economy is shot, feel bad about it and spend our time wishing for the good old days. Three: We recognize that our economy is shot, but instead of moping, reflect on every good thing that we have going for us. Now, which option sounds best to you?
I spent a week this summer working in and around New York City with the city’s homeless population. Or so I thought. Although a lot of the people I served were in fact homeless, a significant number of them had a job or a home or both. The truth of the importance of this situation is that they and thousands of others across the country can’t afford even the most basic things of life, even while working two jobs. Yet no one that I met complained about their hardships. Instead, they took whatever I happened to give them(which was, more often than enough, not enough) and were genuinely grateful for what they had.
Wrap your heads around that statement for a second. These people worked their butts off to stay alive with minimal results, yet were overjoyed by a flimsy(脆弱的) paper plate with donated green beans on it. Although I am ashamed to admit it( both as a girthy figure and an affluent citizen), I have taken for granted most of my meals, let alone green beans, and I know for a fact that I am not alone.
64. 【小題1】According to the passage when people think about holidays they care much for ____.

A．where to spend their holidays	B．how to spend their holidays
C．what they can get for their holidays	D．who they should go to visit

65. 【小題2】When the author wrote the article, the economic situation in his country ____.

A．began to go bad.

B．began to improve

C．was still serious

D．was favorable for middle class.

66. 【小題3】The author wrote the article mainly to advise people____.

A．to be thankful in time of hardship.	B．to spend their holidays in a wise way
C．to think little about their holidays	D．to help the country to sail through the crisis

67. 【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that the writer is most probably ______.

A．a(chǎn) homeless child

B．a(chǎn)n old professor

C．a(chǎn) famous scientist

D．a(chǎn) young student

I don’t like my parents. They always tell me I should do this, and should not do that. It sometimes makes me angry,” said Liu Dan, a middle school student in Beijing. Do you have the same problem? Perhaps your parents had the same problem when they were your age long ago. Why does it seem that some parents are not so friendly in their children’s eyes?
One of the biggest things is when someone becomes a parent, he or she likes worrying things. They worry about everything about you from the time you were born. They do a lot for you, though something would make you angry, because they care about you and worry about you. They worry about your choice of friends, the food you eat, your work at school, how much sleep you get, etc. All these things are part of your life. They want you to grow up healthily and happily.
So how can you make things easier on yourself? It’s easier than you think. Just make sure your parents know what you’re doing. Get them to know your friends. Call them if you stay somewhere else later than usual. Say sorry to them when you make mistakes. Take responsibility for what you have done. Talk about your ideas with them. They may talk about theirs with you.
Most of all, try to think about why your parents do this or do that. They are still practicing being parents and need help you can give them. Someday, when you become a parent, they may be able to help you how to get on with your children.
【小題1】The writer of the passage doesn’t agree that _______.

A．parents want you to grow up healthily

B．parents don’t want you to make some bad friends

C．parents worry about everything about you

D．parents want to control you

【小題2】Some of the children are angry with their parents in the passage because ________.

A．the parents think they eat too much

B．the parents don’t like the friends that their children have made

C．the children don’t live with their parents

D．the children are limited by their parents

【小題3】“They are still practicing being parents.” means _______.

A．parents are not always right	B．parents should practice more
C．parents have many mistakes	D．parents are always right

【小題4】The main idea in this passage is that _______.

A．some of the parents in China don’t love their children

B．children and parents should understand more about each other

C．parents should worry too much about their children

D．children should bear everything their parents arranged

A youth lay in a bath of tomato juice during the “Tomatina” Tomato Fight in the town of Bunol, near Valencia, eastern Spain.
Tens of thousands of people took off their shorts and threw tons of juicy tomatoes at each other in the Tomatina food fight, creating knee-deep rivers of tomato sauce (醬) on the streets of this Spanish town.
Five trucks carried 130 tons of the fruit for the hour-long fight which attracted foreign tourists. Among them are British, French, Argentineans and Japanese, as well as locals.
On the bell of noon the signal was given and for the next 60 minutes participants (參加人) hurled tomatoes at each other until a gunshot signalled the end of the festival.
The clean-up followed, with fighters washing the signs of battle away in the local river or under hundreds of temporary (臨時(shí)的) showers. While the front of buildings were watered, they seemed brighter than ever after their bath.
The Tomatina, held on the last Wednesday in August, is said to be the world’s largest tomato fight. In the past people have been hurt during the tomato fight but no one was killed or injured this year.
The origin (起源) of the festival is unknown, but everyone in Bunol seems to have a favorite story. However, most agree it started around 1940.
【小題1】The passage shows that the tomato fight this year is __________.

A．frightening	B．boring
C．popular	D．harmful

【小題2】The underlined word “hurled” means “__________”.

A．presented (贈(zèng)送)	B．threw
C．gave	D．picked

【小題3】According to the passage, we can learn that __________.

A．participants can have a good rest after the fight ends

B．the festival came from a favorite story

C．only adults are permitted to attend the festival

D．no one was hurt in this year’s tomato fight

【小題4】What is the best title for the passage?

A．A Youth Lay in a Bath of Tomato Juice

B．Tomato-hurling Festival in Spain

C．The History of “Tomatina” Tomato Fight

D．Festivals in Spain

Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier---the shark(鯊魚).
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research.”
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal(潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic(模擬) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.
【小題1】The passage is most probably taken from _____.

A．a(chǎn) short-story collection	B．a(chǎn) popular science magazine
C．a(chǎn) research paper	D．a(chǎn) personal diary

【小題2】What do we learn from the first four paragraph of the passage?

A．Sharks may be used to predict bad weather.

B．Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled.

C．Michael Fish is not qualified for his job.

D．Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster.

【小題3】Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______.

A．removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system

B．measuring the air pressure of weather fronts

C．recording sharks’ body temperature

D．monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes

【小題4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．A popular way of forecasting weather.

B．A new research effort in predicting storms.

C．Biologists’ interest in the secrets of sharks.

D．Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research.

A
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good man.” She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(臨終醫(yī)院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(計(jì)價(jià)器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto e tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
【小題1】The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

A．show she was familiar with the city	B．see some places for the last time
C．let the driver earn more money	D．reach the destination on time

【小題2】The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.

A．wanted to do her a favor	B．shut off the meter by mistake
C．had received her payment in advance	D．was in a hurry to take other passengers

【小題3】What can we learn from the story?

A．Giving is always a pleasure.	B．People should respect each other.
C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy.
D．People should learn to appreciate others’ concern.

At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible sites(地點(diǎn)) for a house. I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live. In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices.
The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place. But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him. However, I let him keep the additional dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.
The real attractiong of the Hollowell farm to me were its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded(相鄰) on one side by the river, and separated from the highway by a wide field. The poor condition fo the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time. I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apples trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields. I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements. But it turned out as I have said.
I was not really troubled by the loss. I had always had a garden, but I don’t thing I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted (無牽掛的). It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.
【小題1】What do we know about the author?

A．He wanted to buy the oldest farm near where he lived.

B．He made a study of many farms before buying.

C．He made money by buying and selling farms.

D．He had the money to buy the best farm in the country.

【小題2】Why did the author decide to buy the Hollowell place?

A．It was of good market value.

B．It was next to the highway.

C．It was in a good position.

D．It was behind a nice garden.

【小題3】Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry?

A．He was afraid the owner might changes his mind.

B．He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm.

C．He wanted to keep the farm as it was.

D．He was eager to become a farm owner.

【小題4】The underlined words “the loss” in the last paragraph refer to ___.

A．the money the author lost in buying the farm

B．the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place

C．the removal of the trees around the house

D．the failure to possess the Hollowell place

【小題5】What does the author believe as important in life?

A．To own a farm	B．To satisfy his needs
C．To be free from worries	D．To live in the countryside

As nanny(保姆), cook, cleaner, shopper, driver, and gardener, she has one of the most demanding jobs in Britain today. And paying someone else to do the chores(家務(wù)活) which take the average housewife 71 hours a week would cost ?349.
At over ?18,000 a year that’s more than the earnings of 70 percent of the population, including train drivers, firemen, prison officers, and social worker. Looking after a baby less than a year old takes a housewife into a even higher pay league. According to a stud, she earns ?457 a week – at nearly ?24,000 a year, the same as teachers, engineers, and chemists.
Researchers put a price on each chore, then tried to find out how long the average person takes doing them. They found housewives spend an average 70.7 hours a week on housework – with looking after the children (17.9hours) and cooking and cleaning (12.9 hours each) the most time-consuming(費(fèi)時(shí)).
A wife with a part-time job still works and average of 59 hours a week at home. Those in full-time employment put in longer hours at home than in the workplace. The good news is that these hours sharply as children get older. While the average mother with child under one puts in 90 hours weekly, the figure drops to 80 hours from one to four and to 66 hours from five to ten.
Mother-of-four Karen Williams from London said, “Paying the housewives may not be practical, but the government should recognize the value of housework, perhaps through the tax. Running a house takes a lot of time and most husbands don’t understand this. For example, my husband only puts a shelf up now and again. He never cleans the kitchen – that’s the real test.”
【小題1】Who earns most according to the text?

A．A social worker.	B．A fireman.
C．A gardener.	D．A teacher.

【小題2】 We lean from the text that looking after children ______.

A．takes more time than doing any other housework

B．means more duties than being a teacher

C．requires the mother to be well-educated

D．prevents the mother from working outside

【小題3】According to the text, a housewife with a baby less than one year old may work _____.

A．66 hours a week	B．71 hours a week
C．80 hours a week	D．90 hours a week

【小題4】By mentioning her husband, Karen Williams wants to show that ______.

A．housework is no easy job

B．her husband has no time to clean the kitchen

C．a(chǎn) housewife needs to be paid for cleaning

D．the kitchen is hard to clean

They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon; on foot, on mules(騾子) or by air. We chose the first. Up early; my husband and I and our three children couldn’t wait to get started. We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail.
As we set out, I was shocked at how narrow the path was. And I couldn’t help noticing that the other tourists weren’t like us. They had heavy backpacks, water bottles, and hats. But as usual we were dressed, As the sun rose higher, Arizona’s famous heat seemed to roast(烘烤)　us. There was no shade and our legs were aching. We decided to go back, with the girl on my back and the boys far behind. By the time we finally got back, our legs were like jelly.
The next day, after we’d had a long rest and a good breakfast, we were ready for another view of the Canyon – by air. After our last walk, this would be the easiest thing in the world.
We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon. But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻轉(zhuǎn))　the plane around, pretending he was going to hit the ground. I shouted, “STOP, TAKE US BACK!” When we finally arrived back on land, once again our legs were like jelly. We hardly spoke as we drove back.
As I said, there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon. We never tried the mules, but personally I’d suggest a fourth: buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic. That way, you can see the Canyon, without fear or tiredness.
【小題1】Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?

A．They made a careful preparation before the trip

B．They children were more joyful than their parents.

C．Bright Angel Trail was not as lovely as they expected.

D．The summer heat prevented them from enjoying the view.

【小題2】The underlined expression “Our legs were like jelly” probably means            .

A．we were weak	B．we were unhappy
C．we were dissatisfied	D．we were disappointed

【小題3】Which of the following best describes their Canyon trip by air?

A．It proved to be frightening.	B．It was more comfortable
C．It turned out to be exciting	D．It made each of them tired.

【小題4】We can infer from the passage that          .

A．experiencing the Canyon on mules would be the best way

B．one needs to dress less when visiting the Grand Canyon.

C．the writer was not serious when she made the suggestion.

D．the whole family narrowly escaped from the air accident.

Topping the class academically was certainly an advantage. Studying was a breeze for
Nigel. The reward was certainly incomparable to the little effort that he had to put it. It begin when he was selected to help the teachers in the computer laboratories.
The peak of his school career came not when he topped the school but when he was selected for the nationwide competition. Unlike everyone else, Nigel wanted to join the contest because he liked playing with the Lego sets and making something out of them. Nigel spent the next two months rebuilding the robot. It was during the time that Nigel found out about the prizes for the competition. Its well us auspices competitor. Alicia, from a neighboring school. His early intentions were forgotten. Getting the thousand-dollar prize was more important than anything else. Nigel decided to befriend Alicia. Unaware of his intentions, she told him all about the robot that she had been building for the competition. He even helped her to put the finishing branches to her robot. He was glad with the way things had progressed. His robot looked even better than Alicia’s and it was able to become a ball with its arms, something Alicia had failed to do.
On the day of the competition, he says Alicia. Everything dawned on her the minute she saw him among the competition. She stared at him, puzzled at first, then angry and finally a look of helplessness came over her.
The flashbulbs of the camera exploded in Nigel’s try. The robot bird performed actions so unique and different that the specialist judgments were the same. Nigel was so personal with himself that he did not even notice the girl standing a few feet away from him. Without her, he would never win the competition.
【小題1】What reward did Nigel receive for doing well in his school work?

A．He was offered a part-time job	B．He was honored with a scholarship
C．He helped his teacher construct a robot	D．He helped in the computer laboratories

【小題2】Nigel’s original intention of joining the contest was to ___.

A．be the top student of the school	B．being great honor to his school
C．constructs a robot with the Lego sets	D．wins the thousand-dollar prize

【小題3】Why did Nigel help Alicia finish her robot?

A．He tried to make friends with her	B．He was fond of building robots
C．He intended to help her	D．He didn’t want her to suspect him

【小題4】What is the author’s attitude towards Nigel’s actions?

A．He is mildly critical	B．He is strongly critical
C．He is in favor of them	D．His attitude is not clear