Joe Read studied in this school for fourteen years. When he finished school, he was already eighteen years old. And then his father said to him, “You finished school, and you are a good student. Now you may go to town and get a good job. They need some clever people to work in the office. The people there can get a lot of money now. If you stay at home, you can't get money from our family.” A few weeks later, Joe went to the office and asked for a job there. A man took him into a small room and gave him some questions on a piece of paper. Joe answered the questions quickly, and he gave the paper to the man. The man looked at the paper for a few minutes and then asked, “You were born on Sep. 23. But which year were you born in?” Joe answered, “Oh, every year.”

1. How old was Joe when he went to school?

A.8.                B. 18.              C. 4.           D. 14.

2. What place did his father want him to work in?

A. A school.            B. An office        C. A house.         D. A shop.

3.What did his father think of Joe?

A. He was a good student.               B. He wasn’t a good student.

C. He wasn’t clever.                   D. He could get money from his family.

4. Why did the man give Joe a piece of paper?

A. Because he wanted to give Joe a job.

B. Because he wanted Joe to answer some questions.

C. Because he wanted to know if Joe was clever.

D. Because he wanted to know how old Joe was.

5.From Joe’s answered, “Oh, every year.”, we can infer(推测) that________.

A. he didn’t want to work in the office

B. he was hardworking but dishonest

C. he was outgoing and clever

D. in fact, he didn’t really answer the man’s question

New York is one of the last large American cities to have some of its policemen on horseback. The New York police have 170 horses working in certain parts of the city. The horses are expensive to feed, but it is even more expensive to look after them. Because the horses must walk on the streets, they need special horseshoes. In fact, they need more than 8,000 of them each year. Every police horse in New York gets new shoes every month. Keeping these shoes in good repair is the job of six blacksmiths(铁匠). There are only about thirty-five of these blacksmiths in the whole United States. The cost of shoeing a horse is between twenty dollars and thirty-five dollars, and it takes a good blacksmith two or three hours to do the job.
A blacksmith’s job is not an easy one. He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse’s foot. The blacksmith must bend over all the time when he is fitting the shoe and must hold the weight of the horse’s leg while he works. Clearly, a blacksmith must be very strong. But even more important, he must be able to deal with horses---for before the blacksmith can begin his work, he has to get the horse to lift its leg.
One of the blacksmiths in New York is James Corbin. He came to the country from Ireland in 1948. He not only makes horseshoes for the police but also works for a group of horse owners near the city. Corbin became interested in blacksmithing because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.”
【小题1】According to the reading passage, a blacksmith must be likely a ________________ man.

There are many ways to find a job. It can be as easy as walking into a neighborhood store to look at its announcement(通告) board. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking(寻找) workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist(网站名)Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas in Austin（奥斯丁 (美国得克萨斯州首府)） can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called “What Color is Your Parachute (降落伞)?” by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career (职业) since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts(专家) also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their strengths, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources(对策) to help them find the right job.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

Now some women are spending a weekend at Mother’s Camp. There, husbands and children are not allowed. Why would a woman want to take a vacation without her family? Some women say they need time to be alone.

   At Mother’s Camp a woman has room to herself. She can sleep, read or watch TV, and no one will bother her. No children will ask, ”Mom, what’s for dinner?” No husband will say, “Oh, dear, I can’t find any clean socks.” In fact almost 50% of women in the United States work outside the home. Many of them work full- time and then come home to a second job – taking care of their homes and families. These working women say one of their biggest problems is housework.

   In the United States, working wives do about 75% of the housework. Many of their husbands say they want to help. But then they burn the rice or they can’t find the pans. They ask so many questions that their wives decide it is easier to do the job themselves.

   Some women go to Mother’s Camp just to get a break from housework. For two days they don’t cook, they don’t clean, they don’t look after their children and husbands. What do they do? They enjoy warm, sunny weather, walking, swimming or boating in a clear blue lake and sing songs around the camp-fire. They relax away from home. They have a really wonderful vacation at Mother’s Camp.

1. From this passage we can see ________ in the United States.

A. women want to work outside the home

B. working wives do most of the housework

C. husbands do as much housework as their wives

D. women like being bothered by their families

2.At Mother’s Camp, women can’t _______.

A. watch TV                       B. read newspapers  

C. swim in the lake                  D. bring their husbands and children

3.Why would some mothers like to be alone? Because _________.

A. they don’t like their husbands and children

B. they have to work full – time

C. they are too busy to relax themselves

D. they want a new life

4.________ is one of the biggest trouble for working wives in the United States.

A. Housework                      B. Working outside the home   

C. When to take a vacation            D. Looking after their children 

5.What’s the best title for this passage?

A. Busy Working Mothers            B. Welcome to Mother’s Camp

C. Mothers Relax Away from Home    D. Mothers in the U.S.

阅读短文，根据短文内容及首字母提示，在空白处填入一个适当的单词。
Do you like animals? Do you want to keep animals? Yes, many people like animals and want to keep a lovely animal as a p_____ . It's a pity that they don't have a suitable place to keep them. However, keeping fish may be the best choice.
Why keep them?
People keep dogs and cats because they enjoy their friendship. Fish can not be friendly, but they have beautiful shapes and colors. It's a pleasure to watch as they swim i_____   their tank（水槽）。
What do they need?
First of all, the fish need a suitable （合适的） tank, and you must fill the tank w_____  suitable water. It is also good for t_____  to have a few water plants in the tank to keep the water pure （纯净）。 Putting a few snails （蜗牛） in the tank is a good i_____  . They will keep it c_____  
What about feeding them?
There are many kinds of fish food t_____   you can get in the shops. Most are suitable for all kinds of fish. You should feed your fish only o_____   a day. It is important not to give them  t_____   much food. Just give them as much as they can e_____   up in about 15 minutes. This will keep them healthy.