The easy way out isn’t always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat Doug, my husband of one month, to a special meal. I glanced through my cookbook and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time, I started on it as soon as Doug left for work. As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Doug loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was a sticky dough (面团) covered with ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face Doug laughing at my work, I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Doug got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing. Looking out, I saw Doug standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in our rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder. Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the fermenting yeast (酵母) made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the ‘living thing’ was and why it was there. I don’t know who was more embarrassed by the whole thing, Doug or me.  

The writer’s purpose in writing this story is ________.

  A. to tell an interesting experience

  B. to show the easiest way out of a difficulty

  C. to describe the trouble facing a newly married woman

  D. to explain the difficulty of learning to cook from books

Why did the woman’s attempt at making the bread turn out to be unsuccessful?

  A. The canned orange had gone bad.

  B. She didn’t use the right kind of flour.

  C. The cookbook was hard to understand.

  D. She did not follow the directions closely.

Why did the woman put the dough in the rubbish bin?

  A. She didn’t see the use of keeping it

  B. She meant to joke with her husband.

  C. She didn’t want her husband to see it.

  D. She hoped it would soon dry in the sun.

What made the dough in the rubbish bin look frightening?

  A. The rising and falling movement.

  B. The strange-looking marks.

  C. Its shape.

  D. Its size.

When Doug went out the third time, the woman looked out of the window because she was  ________.

  A. surprised at his being interested in the bin

  B. afraid that he would discover her secret

  C. unhappy that he didn't enjoy the meal

  D. curious to know what disturbed him

Normally when I pop in to see my parents, my mum bursts out of the house with a big smile. Not today. "Your brother," she says, "he's showered twice this afternoon. Does he know how much it costs to run this house?" Are we limiting water now? I didn't think the recession(萧条) had got that bad. My poor brother is a boomerang kid. Like 60 percent of guys immediately after university, he's back at home. Graduating £15,000 in debt and faced with unpaid internships(实习期) or low wages thanks to the flooding of the market with graduates, a lot of twenty some things simply don't have the necessary income or parental support to live independently.
Three years after getting their degree, most graduates are still not earning above the average salary. They have a near 50 percent tax burden, thanks to student loan repayments and council tax on top of income tax and national insurance. Unless you have parents who can afford to finance what is effectively a second home for them, returning to the parental nest is often the only affordable option.
The boomerang effect is becoming even more pronounced thanks to the recession. One in four of those losing their job during the downturn is under 25. Only 13 percent of final-year students have jobs. Home is the only place many are going: 111,000 16-29 year olds moved back home in 2008, five times the average of previous years.
Boomeranging is bad news. It poses serious problems for parents' finances. They've already supported their children through university, topping up loans with handouts, averaging £12,300 in total, to keep twenty somethings afloat. Now their retirement savings are being eaten away by continuously dependent children.
It’s bad for the returning kids too. Ambitious young people will be left frustrated, seeing their university peers from more wealthy backgrounds excel only because parents' money was there to support them through the initial period of poverty wages. Those living in rural areas are further disadvantaged by lack of access to cities where most new jobs are located. Half of all young people now feel they will not achieve their goals. Research by the Prince's Trust reveals that one-quarter of all 16-25 year olds are regularly down or depressed. And depression does not help self-motivation, the very trait needed to seek out job opportunities.
【小题1】In paragraph 1, the mother’s criticizing her son for showering too often shows _________.

A.the price of water has increased
B.she thinks her son is selfish
C.her son is an economic burden
D.she wants to have a shower herself
【小题2】What is the boomerang mentioned in the passage?
A.A person earning low income.
B.A person who has heavy tax burden.
C.A youth who cannot get parental support.
D.A youth returning to parents after graduation.
【小题3】According to the passage, which of the following does NOT contribute to the tax bill of most young graduates?
A.National insurance. B.Income tax.
C.Council income. D.Student loans.
【小题4】Who is comparatively most affected by the recession according to the passage?
A.Those who haven’t completed their university studies.
B.Those who are supported through by their parents.
C.Those who can have access to the urban facilities.
D.Those who were born into the well-off families.
【小题5】Which is the best title of the passage?
A.Global Recession
B.Boomerang Kids
C.Unemployment Rate
D.Falling Incomes

When I was a small boy my family was very poor. My father always used his savings to       my mother to visit her parents who lived far away. There was just my younger brother and myself in the house. One evening Dad came home from       and there was no food in the house, not       a piece of bread. Although we were       , my brother and I went to bed without eating anything.

My father had no money, but I knew from the         on his face that he could not let us have an empty stomach. He         the house and about two hours later returned and quickly       us up. He had in his hand two small potato pies, which he gave us to eat. I don't know where he got the       but somehow he       to get us something to eat.

My father had not eaten and had worked all day       he sat there with great satisfaction watching us eat. This has       stayed in my mind and left more of an impression than any amount of       he may ever have given me.

At that moment, I felt happy knowing that he was there and would not let us      .

I guess the       I am trying to make is that in difficult times it is       not to show weakness but strength and character. If a       is the cement (粘合剂) that holds a family together, then the father is       that strengthens that cement.

 It is his values and       and memories that have carried me forward and helped me to      my own problems in life. In my own       I have learned that it is the valuable time you spend with your children and the values you give to them that will remain with them always.

1.A. force                       B. encourage                      C. send              D. teach            

2.A. hospital              B. work             C. school                D. shop

3.A. quite                B. just                      C. only                  D. even

4.A. nervous                    B. hungry               C. sleepy                D. busy

5.A. worry                       B. pleasure                        C. disappointment          D. surprise

6.A. cleaned         B. observed                     C. left                   D. searched

7.A. brought                    B. put                             C. called                 D. woke

8.A. chance                      B. food              C. support                     D. recipe

9.A. managed                   B. decided                         C. agreed                          D. waited

10.A. so              B. or                    C. but                   D. and

11.A. normally                  B. always                C. shortly                D. softly

12.A. cost            B. time                  C. salary                 D. money

13.A. suffer                    B. know                 C. leave                 D. cry

14.A. decision                  B. promise                         C. point                  D. apology

15.A. strange            B. important                C. difficult               D. common

16.A. father                   B. brother                       C. sister                 D. mother

17.A. something                B. anything               C. everything                     D. nothing

18.A. words             B. records                 C. actions               D. failures

19.A. work out                 B. carry out              C. run into               D. look into

20.A. opinion        B. home                         C. order                         D. turn

 

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas(胰腺). I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which was doctor’s code for preparing to die. It meant to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It meant to make sure everything was buttoned up so that it would be as easy as possible for your family. It meant to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy(活组织检查). I was calm, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This is the closest I’ve been to facing death. No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by the principle — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

1.The author's main purpose in writing the passage is to let the readers __________.

A.be brave when facing a cancer

B.treasure their lifetime to fulfill their own business

C.know a sorrowful experience of his won

D.know how he treasured his family.

2.Why can the author's illness be cured so soon?

A.He prepared everything in order.           B.He had a biopsy.

C.His pancreatic cancer can be curable with surgery.   D.His wife helped him.

3.The impression the author gave readers is that __________.

A.he was so optimistic that the incurable illness wouldn't bring him down.

B.he could leave death alone and had enough courage to become what he wanted to.

C.he was so determined that he wasn't scared at death.

D.he was such a responsible man that he prepared well before he died.

4.What does the underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Gods.                                B.The doctors

C.Heart and intuition                      D.Other persons

 

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