According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS),the U.K.has about 7.7 million families with dependent children,of which 3.7 million have just one child,compared to 3 million with two and 1.1 million with three children or more.The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade.As the ONS confirms,“It appears that families are getting smaller.”

One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they are bound to be less fertile.But it could just as well be a matter of choice.Parents must consider the rising cost of living,combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market.And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal,which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet,where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread about how fab it is to have an only child”.

She had received 231 replies,overwhelmingly in the same upbeat spirit.Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits.Nicola Kelly,a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one,says her 15 year old son seems more grown up in many ways than his contemporaries.

Not all products of single child families are as keen to repeat the experience.In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart”as a reaction to her only child upbringing.

She was placed on a pedestal by her doting parents,whom she punished with a “brattish,wilful” rejection of everything they stood for.Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly shattered by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”.

Writer and clinician Dr.Dorothy Rowe,a member of the British Psychological Society,says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted,while other children see the advantages of their situation.

However,the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older.

1.The passage is written with the purpose of ________.

A.illustrating the strength and weakness of having an only child

B.analyzing the reasons why having an only child becomes popular

C.presenting us with different opinions about having an only child

D.guiding people to look at the same issue from different perspectives

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?

A.Nearly half of families intend to have just one child.

B.All people don’t stand for the idea of having an only child.

C.Some people fail to recognize the advantage of having an only child.

D.People brought up in an only child family resist downsizing the family.

3.From what Dr.Dorothy Rowe said,we know that ________.

A.journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood

B.she has a positive attitude towards Janice Turner’s reaction

C.it’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle

D.some are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A.It’s normal to see the imperfection in character in only children.

B.Mumsnet is an online forum which promotes having an only child.

C.Economic development plays a determining role in the family size.

D.Only children will have difficulty in attending to their parents.

There was a time when I couldn’t understand why my parents were so enthusiastic about with my head teacher. I often thought that they were really good at getting me into trouble. But, after my head teacher’s home-visit last month, my mind totally .

the visit, I was entirely overwhelmed(压垮) by frustration because I thought my head teacher, who , in my eyes,is a boring and strict man, would severely me and ask my parents to take away my iPad. I even wondered if it had been my parents who invited him to come, I got into argument with my parents.

What was worse, after I the news on my microblog, all the words from my classmates, like “you are such a lucky dog” almost tore me apart. When the day came, I said to , “It’s going to be okay! Just face it!” To my , during his visit, I quickly learned that my head teacher is just a(n) man outside class. With his son and wife accompanying him, he just seemed to be a loving and considerate husband.

I also learned that he is a man full of . When my sister started licking (舔) her after finishing a delicious dish, he joked that she was trying to turn her plate into a mirror. All of us burst into at that moment.

Contrary to my previous impression, I that my head teacher is a very respectable and friendly person. Thanks to his visit, I got to see a(n) side of my head teacher. I felt that I had reacted so crazily before. Now, I’m delighted to have him as my head teacher. I know I won’t him down.

1.A. helping B. communicating C. quarreling D. comparing

2.A. disappeared B. formed C. changed D. developed

3.A. Since B. Before C. After D. While

4.A. slightly B. roughly C. hardly D. typically

5.A. criticize B. blame C. beat D. charge

6.A. in case B. as if C. in that D. so that

7.A. informed B. presented C. revealed D. shared

8.A. teasing B. comforting C. abusing D. encouraging

9.A. simply B. particularly C. surprisingly D. finally

10.A. him B. myself C. my parents D. my classmates

11.A. surprise B. disappointment C. relief D. excitement

12.A. ordinary B. common C. average D. natural

13.A. man B. teacher C. father D. friend

14.A. patience B. hope C. humor D. energy

15.A. lips B. hand C. plate D. fingers

16.A. cheers B. laughter C. tears D. smiles

17.A. thought about B. made out C. found out D. got across

18.A. changeable B. positive C. optimistic D. different

19.A. ashamed B. regretful C. disappointed D. depressed

20.A. put B. bring C. let D. pull

Ballet as a charming dance form has fascinated audiences for many years. It is a form of dance that combines beauty and grace to tell a story in a dance form. Generally performed in theatres, ballet has always been a favored dream of many little girls. While ballet dancers need to work very hard for many years to perform in a professional ballet company, this does not discourage the girls.

Many people think that ballet originated in France, due to the ballet steps that all have French names. However, ballet can be traced back to Italy during the Renaissance period of the 1400s. While this was really just a pioneer to the classical ballet, the dances performed in Italy during this time led to the further development of ballet in France. The first ballet company arose in France and was called The Queen's Ballet Company.

In the 1800s the romantic style of ballet appeared, thanks in part to the ballet La Sylphide. La Sylphide made much use of the toe dancing technique and brought about many changes to ballet.

All romantic ballets focused on women and this encouraged women to take on increasingly to become ballerinas. While ballet prospered in other nations, it started declining in France. The decline could be because ballet was seen as being very worldly with mythical (神话的) steps.

The shift from mythical steps to more reasonable style that could be co-related to human movements came about in the twentieth century. This was because of the many different styles of dance that were becoming increasingly popular. The change that started in the twentieth century continues to transform ballet even today where it mixes different styles of dance.

Some ballets today have even gone so far as to combine another style of dance into the ballet. In 1944 a ballet was introduced called Fancy Free that use Jazz dance with the ballet steps to create a revolutionary ballet, and it was well received.

With time, ballet has developed and changed in many forms. A ballet by professionals continues to charm audiences despite the fact that most of us cannot even dream of performing most of the steps and moves of a ballet dancer.

1.Why do people think ballet comes from France?

A. Because Frenchmen introduced ballet to Italy.

B. Because Frenchmen created many ballet steps.

C. Because the ballet steps are all named in French.

D. Because the first ballet company was founded in France.

2.When did the romantic ballet appear?

A. In the 14th century. B. In the 19th century.

C. In the 15th century. D. In the 2lth century.

3.From the last paragraph, we can know ballet becomes more_______________.

A. reasonable B. romantic

C. popular D. professional

4.The passage mainly talks about _______________.

A. the development of classical ballet

B. the popularity of classical ballet

C. the meaning of classical ballet

D. the techniques of ballet dancing

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网