Motherhood is a career to respect

  A WOMAN renewing her driver’s license at the CountyClerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

  “What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a...”

  “Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”

  “We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation... ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.

  One day I found myself in the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.

  The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate (研究员) in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”

  The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.

  I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement (声明) was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

  “Might I ask,” said the clerk with interest, “just what you do in your field?”

  Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”

  There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.

  As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (激励) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants – ages 13, 7, and 3.

  Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

  I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”

  Motherhood... What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.

How did the female clerk feel at first when the writer told her occupation?

  A. Cold-hearted.    B. Open-minded.

  C. Puzzled.       D. Interested.

How many children does the writer have?

  A. 3    B. 4    C. 7    D. 13

Why did the woman clerk show more respect to the writer?

  A. Because she thought the writer did admirable work.

  B. Because the writer cared little about rewards.

  C. Because the writer did something that she had little knowledge of.

  D. Because she admired the writer's research work.

What is the point of the article?

  A. To show that how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

  B. To show that the writer had a grander job than Emily.

  C. To argue that motherhood is a worthy career.

  D. To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.

The Quiet Hero 沉默的英雄

    It was Mother’s Day, the day we celebrate everything mothers are and everything we do. But I’ll   1    that Sunday in 2000 was bittersweet for me. As a single mother I   2    to think of my shortcomings — how many evenings I couldn’t spend with my children, and how many things I couldn’t   3    my waitress’ salary to buy.

    But what   4    kids I had! My daughter Maria was a senior in college, and Denny was home visiting from his freshman year at Harvard University. They were   5    impolite enough to complain, but there was so much more I   6    I had done for them. I just hoped they   ___7  .

As I walked into the   8    quietly to start breakfast, I was greeted by a vase   9    a dozen red roses! When had Denny possibly slipped down to leave them? But even their delicate beauty was overshadowed by the note sitting beside them, in the quick, manly   10    of an eighteen-year-old. It was about a story that happened between Denny and me long ago. It   11  :

She took a day off from her busy   12    to take the boy to see his hero in the flesh at the stadium. It took 3.5 hours just to get there, and they had to be there early   13    he could see his hero take batting practice.   14    their arrival, she took her hard-earned money to buy an overpriced T-shirt on which was   15    his hero making a diving catch. After the game, of course he had to   16    his hero’s signature, so she stayed with the little boy    17    one in the morning…

   It took me long enough to   18    it, but I finally know who the   19    hero is. Mom, I love you!

   And suddenly, it was a   20    Mother’s Day, after all.

A. admit                 B. adopt                    C. deny                    D. refuse

A. intended              B. liked                     C. tended                     D. hesitated

A. stress                  B. spare                     C. strengthen             D. spend

A. poor            B. great                     C. faithless                   D. pretty

A. merely               B. usually                  C. never                       D. often

A. wished               B. hoped                C. expected                  D. desired

A. supported            B. understood             C. approved                 D. disgusted

A. 1iving-room          B. kitchen                  C. bed loom                 D. study

A. including            B. containing             C. possessing             D. pinning

A. handwriting      B. description             C. tone                        D. scratch

A. wrote                B. recorded                C. memorized              D. read

A. event         B. content             C. schedule                  D. circumstance

A. or                    B. for                        C. but                          D. so

A. At                    B. In                         C. On                          D. By

A. impressed         B. printed                      C. presented                 D. pressed

A. buy                  B. abandon                C. get                          D. swap

A. before              B. until                     C. after                        D. when

A. see                   B. hear                      C. realize                     D. tell

A. actual               B. true                      C. imaginary             D. visual

A. sad            B. bitter                    C. happy                      D. exciting

“My name’s Jim Shelley and I’m an addict(有瘾的人). . . ”

With these words I began to ___36___ the problem, the problem of my telephone addiction. I used to call people ___37___, from the moment I woke up to the time I went to sleep. I ___38___ to be phoned, I wanted to phone. Just one more call.

It started socially . It seemed ___39___, just a quick chat. Gradually though, the ___40___ got worse. Soon it was ___41___ use, until, finally, addiction.

And it began to affect(影响) my ___42___. During the day I would disappear for ___43___ call. If I couldn’t make a call, I spent the whole time waiting for the phone to ring. Getting more and more ___44___, in the end, I would ring someone, then someone else, ___45___ myself just one more call.

I was phoning people and ___46___ messages to make sure ___47___ calls would see me through the day. I used to arrive at friends

homes and before the door was closed, go straight for the phone with the ___48___ “Is it OK if I just use the phone. . . ?” At work, I became ___49___ when my fellow workers tried to ___50___ me from using the phone. And one day I hit my boss(with the phone). Finally, the police caught me ___51___ a phone box that had taken my last one pound coin, and I was ___52___ to see a psychiatrist(心理医生).

I haven’t ___53___ a phone in the house for three weeks now, and it’s several days ___54___ I used a phone box. I try not to watch TV because there are ___55___ people on it making phone calls. My name is Jim Shelley and I am an addict.

36. A. face      B. find    C. accept D. notice

37. A. now and then      B. all the time C. at home      D. at work

38. A. tried     B. asked  C. waited D. invited

39. A. polite   B. important   C. fine    D. special

40. A. condition     B. situation     C. result  D. effect

41. A. frequent       B. regular       C. unusual      D. particular

42. A. friends  B. study  C. family D. work

43. A. a quick B. a secret      C. an expected       D. an extra

44. A. hopeful B. delighted    C. frightened  D. anxious

45. A. forcing B. telling C. giving D. limiting

46. A. leaving B. taking C. passing       D. recording

47. A. long     B. immediate  C. enough       D. surprising

48. A. saying  B. demands     C. wish   D. words

49. A. careful  B. mad    C. determined D. helpless

50. A. save     B. reduce C. protect       D. stop

51. A. destroying    B. using  C. stealing      D. emptying

52. A. offered B. guided       C. ordered      D. reminded

53. A. missed  B. had     C. received     D. fixed

54. A. as  B. when  C. if D. since

55. A. always  B. just     C. more   D. different

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