You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother's Day? Cards,flowers,sales,TV specials,and a day off for someone who really deserves it―those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother's Day. But there's more to the story.

The earliest Mother's Day celebrations were held during spring in ancient Greece. The cele?brations honored Rhea,the Mother of the gods. During the 1600's,England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants(仆人) were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.

In the US,Mother's Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe,who wrote the words to the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn't really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign to honor mothers. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The US isn't alone in devoting a day to mothers. Many other countries including Denmark,Finland, Italy,Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also honor their mothers in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.

Learning more about Mother's Day and celebrating Mother's Day are important,but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother,or grandmother,or aunt has really done for you. And that will certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year. 

(   ) 5. What is the passage mainly about?

    A. The reason why people celebrate Mother's Day.

    B. The ways people honor mothers.

    C. The history of Mother's Day.

    D. The great contribution of mothers.

(   ) 6. Where was the earliest Mother's Day celebrated?

    A.  In ancient Greece.

    B.  In the US.

    C. In England.

    D. In Italy.

(   ) 7. We can learn from the passage that        ,

    A. Rhea is the mother of a king in ancient Greece

    B. not all the countries celebrate Mother's Day in May

    C.  only mothers were given a day off on Mothering Sunday

    D. it was in 1872 that Mother's Day really came into being 

(   ) 8. The last paragraph tells us that        .

    A. all the people should celebrate Mother's Day

    B. only mothers are honored on Mother's Day

    C.  understanding mothers' work is more important than just celebrating Mother's Day

    D. people should celebrate Mother's Day every day

  Host;

  Tonight is New Year's Eve. Many people will attend New Year's parties where they will drink alcohol. A listener in Vietnam wrote to ask why a person in the United States must be at least twenty-one years old to do this legally. Nguyen Hoang Phong noted that eighteen years is the legal age for drinking alcohol in most countries. Here is Faith Lapidus with our answer.

  Faith Lapidus:

  Discussing the drinking age in the United States can lead to an argument. I will try to ex?plain both sides of this issue.

  In nineteen-eighty-four,Congress passed a measure called the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. President Ronald Reagan signed the measure into law. It bars people in the United States from drinking alcohol unless they are twenty-one years of age or older. States must obey the law or risk losing federal money for building roads and road repairs. The measure was the result of work by several lawmakers and groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

  Last July,that group and members of Congress celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the law. They praised the measure as one of the most effective anti-drunk driving laws ever passed. They said that twenty-thousand lives have been saved since its passage. However, some oppo?nents of the measure say it did not save anyone. They say young people who want to drink will find a way to get alcohol. They also reject the number of young people reportedly saved by the law. They say fewer young people are drinking now than twenty years ago.

  Other people say the National Minimum Drinking Age Act is not fair. They say a young person can join the military and fight in a war at age eighteen. However, they are still not per?mitted to drink alcohol until they are twenty-one.

  Many Americans would like to change the law to make eighteen the age when a person can drink alcohol. But just as many want to keep the drinking age at twenty-one.

The question of a legal drinking age involves ideas of freedom,responsibility,religion, politics and the rights of parents. It is a question that will be argued in the United States for many years to come.

(   ) 1. The writer's purpose in writing the text is to          .

    A. discuss the drinking age in America

    B. answer a question

    C. show us the argument in America

    D. call up people's memory

(   ) 2. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

    A. All the Americans think that the law is effective.

    B. It was President Ronald Reagan that made the law come into effect.

    C. It is believed that twenty-thousand lives have been saved since the law was signed.

    D. Only those who are over twenty years old in the US can drink alcohol legally. 

(   ) 3. What is "Mothers Against Drunk Driving"?

    A. A department of the Government.

    B. A scientific research institute.

    C. A group of lawmakers.

    D. A kind of social organization.

(   ) 4. What can we infer from the passage?

    A. The state in the US has no right to change the law of the Federal Government.

    B. If a man was not at least twenty-one years old,he wouldn't get any alcohol in the US.

    C. The young people in the USA become mature later than those of the other countries.

    D. It will be not easy to change the law of the drinking age in a short time.

  In the early 1800,s, a boy named John lived in an orphanage(孤儿院) with several other children. Every day was 1     working and Christmas was the one day of the year when the 2      did not work and received a gift ― an orange. The children 3      it so much that they kept it for weeks, and even 4      smelling it, 5      it and loving it. Usually they tried to preserve(保护) it for so 6      that it often went bad before they ate it.

  This year John knew he would soon be 7      enough to leave. He would save the orange until his birthday in July. If he preserved it 8     ,he might be able to eat it on his birthday.

  Christmas day finally came. The children were so 9      as they entered the dining hall. In his excitement, John knocked over something, causing a big 10      . Immediately the master shouted, "John,leave the hall and there will be no orange for you.”John's heart 11      . He turned and ran back to the 12      room so that the children wouldn't see his tears.

  Then he heard the door open and the children entered. Little Elizabeth with a 13      on her face held out her small hands. "Here John," she said, "this is for you. " As John 14      his head,he saw a big juicy 15      all peeled and quartered ... Each child had sacrificed(舍弃) their own orange by 16      a quarter and had created a big,beautiful orange for him.

  John never forgot the sharing,love and personal 17      his friends had shown him that Christmas day. 18      that day,after he became rich,every year he 19      send oranges all over the world to children everywhere. His 20      was that no child would ever spend Christ?mas without a special Christmas fruit!

(   ) 1. A. forced    B. passed    C. taken    D. spent

(   ) 2. A. parents    B. children    C. nurses    D. keeper

(   ) 3. A. needed    B. wanted    C. valued    D. missed

(   ) 4. A. months    B. days    C. years    D. seasons

(   ) 5. A. tasting    B. watching    C. pressing    D. touching

(   ) 6. A. much    B. soon    C. long    D. far

(   ) 7. A. old    B. strong    C. tall    D. experienced

(   ) 8. A. seriously    B. carefully    C. secretly    D. softly

(   ) 9. A. nervous    B. excited    C. pleasant    D. eager

(   ) 10. A. cry    B. disappointment    C. surprise    D. noise

(   ) 11. A. jumped    B. stopped    C. broke    D. settled

(   ) 12. A. cold    B. small    C. old    D. lonely

(   ) 13. A. look    B. tears    C. comfort    D. smile

(   ) 14. A. shook    B. lifted    C. put    D. turned

(   ) 15. A. gift    B. surprise    C. orange    D. wonder

(   ) 16. A. sharing    B. breaking    C. eating    D. taking

(   ) 17. A. feelings    B. affairs    C. relation    D. sacrifice

(   ) 18. A. In return for    B. In case of    C. In memory of    D. In search of

(   ) 19. A. must    B. would    C. might    D. should

(   ) 20. A. desire    B. idea    C. meaning    D. thinking

  There are some parts of the world where earthquakes often happen,but millions of people still choose to live in these areas. As a consequence, several technologies have evolved to help make buildings more resistant to collapse during an earthquake,many of them using roller Or ball bearings(轴承) .

  People usually think of ball bearings as a way to decrease friction(摩檫) ,and question how that use could apply to things that don't typically move,like buildings, in scenarios like earth?quakes. However, bearings aren't intended to enable things to move effortlessly. They've just there to allow buildings to move at all. Damage from earthquakes is caused when structures are shaken and forced to move,and their rigid(坚硬的) forms don't permit them to do so without giving way and breaking. By using strategically-placed bearings, builders have observed a way to isolate the bases of buildings from the rest of their structures,making it possible for them to move independently without causing greater stress on the building's otherwise solid frame. Some of these bearings are large and rubber, while other buildings use huge linear bearings. Some?times ,these earthquake-proofing technologies are even used to help skyscrapers be built on soft ground, and enable very tall buildings to move with the wind. Without them,these buildings would remain rigid,and be easier to falling over.

  A number of well-known companies produce bearings for builders looking to buy bearings for their seismic(地震的) applications. For one,Timken produces large,roller-style Timken bearings that are used in base isolation earthquake technology. NSK bearings also come in a range of shapes and materials for different seismic and building applications. Not all of the beat?ings carried by seismic bearing distributors resemble the ball bearings that a lot of people are used to seeing in everyday life. Some might look like large rubber discs, while others look like a series of pillars. Regardless of what they look like,these are all bearings, and all provide the purpose of helping large buildings to survive an earthquake.

  Though no approach of building is completely earthquake-proof, things like roller Timken bearings help save lives. It's hard to precisely test earthquake-proofing technology without being able to try it out in an actual earthquake,but every day builders and manufacturers get closer and closer to creating better solutions for surviving seismic disasters.

(   ) 5. Which of the following is true about rigid forms of structures during an earthquake?

   A.They prevent structures from breaking.

   B.They allow structures to move if necessary.

   C.They make structures resistant to collapse.

   D.They don't allow structures to make necessary move. 

(   ) 6. Why does NSK produce various kinds of bearings?

   A.To make them suitable for different buildings.

   B.To use them in different parts of a building.

   C.To satisfy the needs of different people.

   D.To use them in different areas of life.

(   ) 7. We can infer from the last paragraph that earthquake-proofing technology        .

   A.will be put into use very soon

   B.has been tested in an actual earthquake

   C.will be replaced by better solutions

   D.will develop better in the future

(   ) 8. The main purpose of the author is to        .

   A.analyze why buildings collapse during an earthquake

   B.explain the use of bearings during an earthquake

   C.tell us how to make buildings more resistant to an earthquake

   D.advertise for bearings made by Timken

 Donald had his own difficulties in sleeping that night. Not just because of the bright lights of the shelter or people's constant voices, it was the happening repeatedly nightmare that caused him to stay awake,to fear sleep. Donald was back in his small house. He did his best to ignore the howling winds outside his window. Yet he could not turn out the fearful whimpers(鸣咽) of his little dog,or the uncomfortable sounds of his mother anxious in her room next door,unable to sleep through the storm despite her insistence they would be all right.

  Donald did not want his mother to be upset,but on some level,he was glad to hear she was awake. It meant he was not alone in the dark. Though he was 12 ,until recently it was im?possible for Donald to fall asleep unless his mother lay down by his side.

  Suddenly there was a crash. Their living room window is shattered(打碎) by 125 milean-hour winds. Troy rushed to Donald and sat anxiously on the edge of his bed. He did his best to calm his mother, and she had to comfort him. Soon water was seeping(渗入) into the single floor house. Quickly it rose from ankle level to leg level. At Donald's insistence, they pushed their way through the water―now chest high―toward the front door. When they fought their way into the living room,water rose to their chins.

  It was a struggle for the boy and mother to stay afloat. In a total panic,desperate to hold

on to something,Troy caught a curtain rod(杆) .She was breathing hard,shouting that she couldn't swim.

  Donald called out, "Mom!Hold on!" Just then Donald also caught a floatable wood board. 

(   ) 1. The passage is mainly about .

   A.how a storm happened and caused damage

   B.how a mother and son experienced a storm

   C.how a mother and son survived a storm

   D.how a son helped his mother in a storm

(   ) 2. All of the following mentioned in the story except        .

   A. the rising water   B. the broken window

   C.  the lucky dog   D. the noisy environment

(   ) 3. Which phrase can describe Troy's feelings at the beginning of the storm most suitably? 

A. In excitement.   B. In calm.   C. In anxiety.   D. In despair.

(   ) 4. From the text it can be inferred that        .

   A.neither Donald nor his mother slept that night

   B.at the beginning Troy refused to leave their house

   C.Troy must be rich because she had a tall building

   D.Donald was too young to help his mother

 Last Tuesday was rainy. Still, I drove to visit my daughter Carolyn and my grandchildren as I had promised. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and 1 them,she said, "Mom,you must go to see the narcissi(水仙花) before they are 2   ."

  "3the narcissi, Carolyn!The road is 4 to drive on in the rain, and there is noth?ing in the world except you and these children that I want to 5 in such a bad weather!"

  My daughter smiled 6and said, "Trust me,Mom. You will never 7 yourself if you miss this experience.”

  After driving about twenty minutes, we saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a sign 8   ,"Narcissus Garden".

  We got out of the car,and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then,as we turned a cor?ner,I looked up and was 9 . Before me lay the most amazing 10 . It looked as though someone had a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were 11 in swirling(旋涡状的) patterns,great ribbons of deep orange,creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink,and saffron and butter yellow. Each different colored varie?ty was planted in large 12 so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own u-nique color. "But who 13 this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman," Carolyn an?swered. She 14 a well-kept small house. We walked up to it. In the yard,we saw a post?er. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the 15 . The first answer was a 16 one. "50,000 bulbs(球茎) ”,it read. The second was, "One at a time,by one woman. Two hands, two feet,and one brain. " The third was, " 17 in 1966."

  This unknown woman had created something of indescribable 18 . Learn to move to?wards our goals one step at a time,learn to 19 what we are doing,and learn to use the time well. By doing so,we can 20 the world.

(   ) 1.A. informed   B. taught   C. greeted   D. invited

(   ) 2.A. over   B. lost   C. bent   D. broken

(   ) 3.A. Sell   B. Leave   C. Water   D. Forget

(   ) 4.A. dangerous   B. hard   C. clean   D. wide

(   ) 5.A. see   B. defeat   C. instruct   D. welcome

(   ) 6.A. calmly   B. proudly   C. easily   D. nervously

(   ) 7.A. protect   B. permit   C. hate   D. forgive

(   ) 8.A. talking   B. speaking   C. saying   D. knowing

(   ) 9.A. inspired   B. satisfied   C. depressed   D. shocked

(   ) 10.A. progress   B. sight   C. place   D. poster

(   ) 11.A. planted   B. cut   C. stored   D. pined

(   ) 12.A. lines   B. rows   C. groups   D. teams

(   ) 13.A. won   B. enjoyed   C. discovered   D. made

(   ) 14.A. searched for   B. pointed to   C. looked at   D. thought of

(   ) 15.A. answer   B. text   C. headline   D. meaning

(   ) 16.A. beautiful   B. lively   C. wide   D. simple

(   ) 17.A. Appeared   B. Began   C. Paused   D. Finished

(   ) 18.A. beauty   B. price   C. concern   D. value

(   ) 19.A. describe   B. divide   C. love   D. correct

(   ) 20.A. explore   B. change   C. watch   D. know

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