Now that I am no longer young, I have friends whose mothers have passed away. I have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully   36  their mother until it was too late to tell them.

I am  37 with the dear mother who is still alive. I appreciate her more each  38  . My mother does not change, but I  39  . As I grow older and wiser, I realize what an extraordinary person she is. How sad that I am  40  to speak these words in her  41 , but they flow easily from my pen.

How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for  42  itself? For the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into  43  a child? For running after toddler ( a very young child who is just learning to walk), for understanding a moody  44  , for tolerating a college student who knows,  45  for waiting for the day when a daughter realizes what her mother  46  is like?

How does a (n)  47  woman thank a mother for contributing to be a mother? For being ready with advice (when asked) or  48  silent when it is most appreciated? For not saying: “I told you so”, when she could have  49  these words dozens of times? For being essentially herself---loving,  50  patient, and forgiving.

I don’t know  51 , dear God, except to bless her as  52  as she deserves and to help me  53 the example she has set. I pray that I will look as good in the  54  of my children as my  55    looks in mine

A

Pronouncing words of a language is a skill. Every normal person is expert in the skill of pronouncing their own language; but few people are ever skilled at pronouncing foreign languages. Now there are many reasons for this, some obvious, some perhaps not so obvious. But I suggest that the reason why people in general do not speak foreign languages much better than they do their own language is that they fail to grasp the true nature of the problem of learning to pronounce, and never set about solving it in the right way. Far too many people fail to realize that pronouncing a foreign language is a skill-one that needs careful training of a special kind, and one that cannot be gained by just leaving it to take care of itself. I think even teachers of language, while recognizing the importance of a good accent, tend to neglect(忽略), in their practical teaching, the branch of study which has something to do with speaking the language. So the first point I want to make is that English pronunciation must be taught. The teacher should be prepared to devote some of the lesson time to this, and by his whole attitude(态度)to the subject should get the student to feel that here is a matter worthy of receiving close attention, thus when other aspects(方面)of English, such as grammar or spelling, are allowed for the moment, to take second place, there is something else.

Except for the question of time given to pronunciation, there are two other requirements for the teacher: the first, knowledge; the second, technique.

1. Why don't people speak a foreign language better than they speak they native language?

A. Because they can't grasp the nature of the problem of learning to pronounce.

B. Because they think pronouncing a foreign language is a impossible.

C. Because they never solve the problem in any way.

D. Because they pay more attention to pronunciation than anything else.

2. What is the passage mainly about?

A. Grammar should be paid no attention to.

B. Pronunciation is the most important aspect in learning a foreign language.

C. Spelling should not be taught in class.

D. Knowledge and technique are unnecessary in learning a foreign language.

A few years ago, I was with a close woman friend in a grocery store in California．As we walked along the aisle (过道), we saw a mother with a small boy moving in the opposite direction and met us head-on (正面的) in each aisle．The woman barely noticed us because she was so angry with her little boy, who wanted to pull items off the lower shelves．As the mother became more and more annoyed, she started to yell at the child and several aisles later had progressed to shaking him by the arm．k+s-5#u 

At this point my friend spoke up．A wonderful mother of three and founder of a progressive school, she had probably never once in her life treated any child so harshly(严厉地)．I expected my friend would give this woman a solid mother-to-mother talk about controlling herself and about the effect this behavior has on a child．Instead, my friend said, “What a beautiful little boy．How old is he?” The woman answered cautiously, “He’s three．” My friend went on to comment on how curious he seemed and how her own three children were just like him in the grocery store, pulling things off shelves, so interested in all the wonderful colors and packages．“He seems so bright and intelligent,” my friend said．

The woman had the boy in her arms by now and a shy smile came upon her face．Gently brushing his hair out of his eyes, she said, “Yes, he’s very smart and curious, but sometimes he wears me out．” My friend responded sympathetically(表示同情地), “Yes, they can do that; they are so full of energy．”

As we walked away, I heard the mother speaking kindly to the boy about getting home and cooking his dinner．“We’ll have your favorite — macaroni(通心面) and cheese,” she told him．

The mother was angry with her baby because 　  　　．

A．the mother was very tired k+s-5#u 

B．the baby asked for more things

C．the baby ran madly in the store

D．the baby was pulling the goods off the shelves

We can learn from the passage that the author’s friend 　　   　．

A．treated her children well only     

B．was probably good to any child

C．liked the boy very much         

D．always wanted to help others

The author’s friend talked with the mother in that way to 　  　　．

A．show her sympathy for the woman

B．know something about the boy first

C．show her anger with the woman k+s-5#u 

D．make the woman realize children’s natural quality

With the story, the author most probably intends to tell us that 　　　  ．

A．we should respect a child’s nature

B．we should never blame a child

C．mothers usually share the same interest

D．mothers should try to be gentle and polite k+s-5#u 

A university graduate described as a “respectable and intelligent” woman is seeking professional help after being convicted of （证明有……罪）shoplifting for the second time in six months.

       Ana Luz, recently studying for her PhD, has been told she could end up behind bars unless she can control the desire to steal from shops.

       Luz ,who lives with her partner in Fitzwilliam Road, Cambridge, admitted stealing clothes worth ￡9.95 from John Lewis in Oxford Street, London, on March 9.

       Phillip Lemoyne, prosecuting（起诉）,said Luz selected some clothes from a display and took them to the ladies’ toilet in the store .When she came out again she was wearing one of the skirts she had selected, having taken off the anti-theft security alarms（防盗警报装置）.

       She was stopped and caught after leaving the store without paying, Mr. Lemoyne said.

       He added that she was upset on her arrest and apologized for her actions.

       Luz, 28, was said to have been convicted of shoplifting by Cambridge judges last October, but Morag Duff, defending, said she had never been in trouble with the police before that.

       “She is ashamed and embarrassed but doesn’t really have any explanation why she did this,” Miss Duff said. “She didn’t intend to steal when she went into the store. She is at a loss to explain it. She is otherwise a very respectable and intelligent young lady. She went to her doctor and asked for advice because she wants to know if there is anything in particular that caused her to do this.”

       Judge David Azan fined Luz ￡ 50,  and warned : “You’ve got a criminal record .If you carry on like this ,you will end up in prison ,which will ruin your bright future you may have.”

       Luz achieved a degree in design at university in her native Spain, went on to a famous university in Berlin, Germany for her master’s degree and is now studying for a PhD at Cambridge University, UK.

What does the underlined sentence “She is at a loss to explain it” mean?

A. In her opinion it was a loss to the clothes shops where she stole things.

B. She doesn’t have any idea why she has the desire to steal from shops.

C. She thinks it is a loss for her to explain why she stole things from shops.

D. Personally she feels ashamed and embarrassed for her shoplifting actions.

Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “shoplifting” used in the passage?

A. Carrying goods in a lift for a shop.      B. Taking goods to the ladies’ toilet.

C. Selecting some goods from a display.      D. Taking goods from a shop without paying.

From the passage we can learn that           .

A. Ana Luz is already got her PhD at Cambridge University, UK

B. Ana Luz is ashamed and embarrassed and knows why she often did so

C. the university graduate will be put in prison if she steals in shops once more

D. Phillip Lemoyne is the “respectable and intelligent” woman’s defense lawyer

A good night’s sleep in the early years of life could be very important in preventing a child becoming obese, say scientists. Babies and pre-school children who sleep for less than ten hours a night are more likely to be overweight when they are older, research has found. Experts believe that those who do not get enough sleep are more likely to feel hungry and want more calorie-rich food during the day.

Former research has linked sleeping with obesity in adults and teenagers, but this is one of the first to look at very young children. Researchers from the Universities of Washington and California looked at the sleeping habits of almost 1,000 children under the age of five. They found those who had less than ten hours’ sleep were twice as likely to be overweight five years later.

Childhood obesity has doubled over the past 10 years. A quarter of secondary school pupils are now judged to be so overweight that their health is in danger. Experts believe sleep, or lack（缺乏）of it, could be a major cause of this. On average children are sleeping for an hour less than they did 30 years ago. Last year Chinese researchers looked at more than 5,000 youngsters and found that those who were able to catch up on （补充）sleep at the weekend were far less likely to get body weight problems. Scientists have also found a link between lack of sleep and diabetes（糖尿病）. Last year Canadian researchers discovered those who did not get seven or eight hours’ sleep a night were two and a half times more likely to become sick.

The underlined word “obese” in the first paragraph may mean       .

A．quite protective             B．very sad        

C．very fat                 D．quite young

According to Chinese researchers, if a person who lacks sleep can get more sleep during weekends,       .

A．he won’t get hungry easily         B．he will feel tired all the time

C．there will be little chance of him becoming fat

D．it will be very hard for him to fall asleep at night

From the passage we know       .

A．too little sleep will result in illness besides obesity

B．in the past people didn’t connect sleep with weight

C．fat children must have slept less than 10 hours five years ago

D．most children are unhealthy because of little sleep

What would be the best title of the passage?

A．A good night’s sleep helps the development of kids’ brain!

B．Ten hours’ sleep prevents overweight in kids!

C．Children are sleeping much less nowadays!

D．More teenagers get weight problems!

Where can you most probably read this passage?

A．In the latest news.          B．In a children’s book.

C．In a health magazine.        D．In a scientist’s diary.