Rodney Mace, 35, is married with two young children, and is a part-time teacher of history, "I am
constantly surprised by other people"s surprise, when they come to the house and see me cleaning a
floor or hanging out the washing. Their eyes open wide at the sight of it! Much of the comment comes
form men. But I am even more surprised at the number of women who comment too."
His wife Jane, an Oxford graduate in modern languages, has a demanding full-time job. She is director
of the Cambridge House literacy scheme(扫盲计划) for adults in South London. Her working week
involves several evenings and Saturdays, and at these times her husband is in charge of home and family.
Apart from this, they share household jobs and employ a child-minder for the afternoons. This enables
him to teach two days a week and to do what he considers his principal work: writing. He has written
several books and spends much of his time in the Museum Reading Room, cycling there from his home
in Brixton.
People ask the Maces if they think their children miss them. One can argue that satisfied parents
generally have satisfied children, but in any case the Maces are careful to spare time and energy to play
with their children. "And they have now developed relationships with other adults and children.
Before, Rodney Mace worked full-time and Jane only part-time. Then 18 months ago, the director
of the literacy scheme left. "It seems to me that Jane was very well suited to do this job. She was very
doubtful about it. But I asked her to apply. She did, and she got it." Jane Mace says that she needed
this encouragement, as so many women do.
Did his male ego(男性自我意识) suffer from the change-over? Nothing like that occurred. But he
still seems amazed at the way it changed his thinking. "I felt that we were finally going to be partners. I
felt enormous relief. I wasn"t avoiding responsibility, but changing it. Our relationship is so much better
now. It has been a change for the good for both of us－think for all of us, in every aspect of our lives. I
cannot overemphasize(过高强调) that: in every aspect, I think it is necessary that the woman works.
The idea of equal partnership is an illusion if one partner doesn"t work.
1.The article is about a couple whose married life is happier because _______.
A. they have a truly equal partnership
B. the husband enjoys staying at home
C. they earn more money
D. the wife has a full-time job
2.Jane finally decided to apply for her present job because ________.
A. she thought she had better qualification than others
B .her husband had persuaded her to
C. it was very well paid
D .some of her friends encouraged her to
3. It is implied in the passage that ________.
A. the Maces believe a good career is even more important that their family life
B. Rodney"s children are quite happy with their position in the family
C. even capable women sometimes need encouragement from their families
D. the practice of sharing household jobs between husband and wife is common in London
4.We can infer from this passage that a change-over of roles in the family ________.
A. is quite necessary in modern life
B. is probably based on some practical reasons
C. aims mainly at a complete liberation of women
D. shows women are not necessarily inferior(低下) to men
5.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Most Englishmen think that a husband should do more housework than a wife.
B. In London the traditional idea about the sex role at home has been completely changed.
C. Many Englishmen and Englishwomen still believe that women are mainly in charge of
home and family.
D. English people believe that men should take more responsibilities for house work.
阅读短文,根据所读内容在文章后表格中填入最恰当的单词,每空限填一词.
People traveling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land,
sea or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train carriages
soon get full of passengers and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey. Reading
is only a partial solution, for the noise of the wheels clicking on the rails soon makes you sleepy. During
the day, sleep comes in short periods. At night, when you really want to go to sleep, you can rarely
manage to do so. Surely you arrive at your destination almost worn out. Long car journeys are even less
pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high
speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic. By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You
can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy delicious
food-always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no
form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time.
Airplanes have the reputation of being unsafe and even hardened travelers are afraid of them. They
also have the disadvantages of being an expensive form of transport. But nothing can match them for
speed and comfort. Traveling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an
hour is a very exciting experience. You do not have to think out ways of taking your mind off the journey,
for an airplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair
to enjoy the flight. The real enjoyment is to watch a film and drink wine on some services. But even when
these things are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. A plane offers you an unusual and
breathtaking view of the world. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. No matter how you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your
destination fresh and energetic. You do not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and
arduous journey.
| Means of transportation | (1)____________ | Disadvantages | |
| Train | Reading is possible | Carriages-(2) _____,stuffy.Clicking of wheels-(3) ______. | |
| Car | Go fast on motorways | (4)_____ service stations. Too much traffic. | |
| Ship | Stretch yourself.Meet (5) ____ people.Play games.Enjoy (6) ____ food. | Get (7) ____ in bad weather. (8)____ time. | |
| Plane | Good service.Wonderful (9) ____ .Sound sleep. | It"s (10) ____ and expensive. | |
| 阅读理解。 | |||
| It didn’t take long at all for me to decide to come and study in the UK. With the approach of globalization, more and more people realize that it is necessary to study in an English-speaking country. UK does not only offer the chance to study the original English, it also has so many first-class universities, whose qualifications are widely respected all over the world. Besides the academic, there are many fun elements too; its famous football environment is definitely one for me! Since UK has such a diverse society, I feel there is less chance that there would be any racism(种族歧视) at boarding school. This is one reason why I did not take any summer courses before I started my school. It was just so easy to settle in and pick up the language as you go along, because everyone is so friendly and helpful. At the moment I am doing 5 A-levels and 1 AS, which are Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Government and Politics and Chinese. I am aiming to achieve A’s in all my exams, and  I hope to go to Oxford University to study Engineering Science in the autumn. I still remember my first day at Merchiston Castle School, and I was really nervous about it, because I have never visited the school before and didn’t take any summer courses. Despite my anxiety, I soon relaxed once I arrived; the staff members were so nice that I felt that my spoken English was better than it actually was! As soon as I walked into the day room (日间休息室) of my boarding house, I was absolutely amazed by the friendly atmosphere: Everyone was so friendly that a boy as shy as I had no difficulty in setting in, and I made many new friends on my very first day, although I was struggling to remember all the names. 1. What does the passage mainly tell us? A. The author’s impression on UK. B. The author’s plan for his study. C. The author’s comments on British schools. D. The report of achievements. 2. Which is NOT a reason that the author decided to study in the UK? A. It’s less likely that racism would be found at boarding school. B. He wanted to learn pure English. C. There are many worldwide famous universities. D. It provides a good environment for a living. 3. The author thinks the British are __________. A. funny B. hard-working C. friendly D. respectable 4. We can learn from the passage that the author _________. A. plays football very well B. has been admitted to Oxford University C. is a shy boy D. is good at remembering names 5. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to "________". A. my first day at the school B. my oral English C. Merchistion Castle School D. one of my summer courses | |||
| 阅读理解 | |||
| Parents should help children understand money. 1 So you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example. 1. The basic function of money Begin explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It"s important to show your child how money is traded for the thing he wants to have. If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier (收银员). 2 When your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money. 2. Money lessons Approach money lessons with openness and honesty. 3 If you must say no to a child"s request to spend money, explain, "You have enough toy trucks for now." Or, if the request is for many different things, say, "You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy." 3. 4 Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands of a product - a name-brand butter and a generic (无商标产品), for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money, 5 If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases. | |||
| A. Wise decisions B. The value of money C. Permit the child to choose between them. D. Tell your child why he can-or cannot-have certain things. E. Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you. F. Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store. G. The best time to teach a child anything about money is when he shows an interest. | |||
| 完型填空。 | |||
| Suppose, for example, that a teacher tells her students they each must do one hundred maths problems 1 coming to school the next day. The 2 complain about so much home study. But one student does not 3 anything at all. That student is an eager beaver. He 4 to work out maths problems, and does not mind all the 5 . Another eager beaver works as a salesman for a business. He 6 arrives at the office before anyone else, and is the 7 person to leave. The man works hard, because he 8 his job. He is a true “eager beaver”. The expression 9 the name of a hardworking animal, the beaver. Beavers are 10 creatures. They are like mice and rats, but much 11 . Some weigh more than twenty-five kilograms. Beavers have a large, black, flat tail to 12 them swim. They also have thick brown hair or fur to keep them warm in cold 13 .They have front teeth 14 enough to cut down large trees. Beavers spend a lot of time in the water, building dams（堤，坝） to form little 15 or pools. They work hard to cut down trees, 16 branches and put them across streams. They use their tails to pack mud on the branches to make the dams solid. 17 other animals work so hard. In fact, for two hundred years or more, the beaver was the most valuable animal in North America. And thus most of the beavers were killed. For a time, they were in danger of 18 completely. But laws were passed to 19 the beaver, and today, the 20 is rising. And, like the animal, the expression “eager beaver” is in no danger of dying out. | |||
| ( )1.A.when ( )2.A.children ( )3.A.do ( )4.A.loves ( )5.A.physical labour ( )6.A.seldom ( )7.A.most eager ( )8.A.has to do ( )9.A.comes from ( )10.A.tailless ( )11.A.smaller ( )12.A.make ( )13.A.rain ( )14.A.fearless ( )15.A.lakes ( )16.A.grasp ( )17.A.All ( )18.A.running away ( )19.A.feed ( )20.A.condition | B.instead of B.teachers B.speak B.refuses B.easy job B.sometimes B.last B.needn’t do B.is separated from B.good-looking B.larger B.watch B.land B.smooth B.pipes B.suck B.Most B.disappearing B.raise B.population | C.as C.parents C.ask C.hates C.homework C.always C.only C.loses C.is given to C.strange-looking C.quicker C.let C.water C.quick C.gardens C.remove C.Many C.missing C.catch C.quality | D.while D.headmasters D.say D.fails D.housework D.never D.first D.enjoys D.has nothing to do with D.kind-hearted D.better D.help D.ice D.sharp D.parks D.climb D.Few D.losing D.protect D.safety |
| 阅读理解。 | |||
| Recently, in the hope of earning both money and social experience, I became a door-to-door salesman. I once read a saying: "If somebody wants something of you, you will be treated as warmly as spring, but if they don"t you may be treated as coldly as winter." You may consider it an exaggeration(夸张),but if you are a salesman, it is clearly correct. You would never have found it to be so true if you hadn"t been a salesman. You needn"t stand doubtful looks and unfriendly views; you needn"t listen to something completely wrong and nod to say that it was quite right; you needn"t always keep patience and smile; you needn"t repeat the same sentences over again; you needn"t talk to somebody you dislike. I did this work for a month; then I decided to give it up. In spite of the above reasons, I found I was paying too much attention to the job and thus sacrificing my study time. The latest test result proved that my grades were getting lower. Even worse, I hadn"t enough time to join my classmates in college activities. Sometimes I felt lonely and unhappy because of both my study and my part-time job. Now I don"t think it is worth doing such a thing even though I was earning money at great cost. Newspapers and magazines often publish stories about good students who do part-time work and keep high scores in class. But according to my experience, part-time work can have some strong bad effects on study. Most students don"t see the relationship between studies and work in a correct way. In my opinion, if it isn"t a must for money reasons, students should be cautious about taking up a part-time job. In western countries even the children of very rich families take part in hard jobs during the summer vacation. 1. What caused the writer to give up his part-time job? A. Too much attention to it and his grades getting lower B. He often missed some college activities C. Sometimes he felt tired and unhappy D. All the above 2. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word "sacrificing"? A. losing B. wasting C. using D. getting 3. The writer thought __________. A. to do part-time job was unnecessary B. part-time jobs had good effect upon study C. it"s hard to plan study and work correctly D. part-time jobs were good for students 4. Who should take part-time jobs according to the text above? A. Every college student B. Those who want to get study experience C. Those in great need of money D. Those from very rich families | |||