C

Why are so many coin banks shaped like pigs? Why not dogs or cats or elephants?

Coin banks weren't always made to look like pigs. In fact, the name "piggy bank" may have come from a kind of clay and not from the animal at all.

The history of the piggy bank goes back to the Middle ages. At that time in Western Europe, metals were expensive, so a cheap orange clay known as pygg was used for everyday items such as dishes and jars. In fact something made from pygg clay was often just called a pygg. The first piggy bank may well have been a pygg in which a person put a few extra pennies to buy a treat on market day.

People have always had a hobby of saving pennies, and using a pygg as a coin bank became common practice. Potters (陶工) began making jars specially for saving coins, and eventually these jars took a pig-like shape. Modeling a bank to look like a pig may have been influenced by the name of the clay. The earliest Roman coin bank ever found was decorated with a pig. Because it was considered as a valuable farm animal in many countries, the pig was an appropriate symbol of wealth and prosperity.

These early clay banks were fragile and easily broken. As time passed, mining became less expensive. Iron, copper, and silver gradually replaced pygg clay in the production of household items. Although pygg clay lost its popularity, the habit of saving pennies did not. Today piggy 'banks are made of every material imaginable.

The familiar saying "A penny saved is a penny earned" is as old as the clearly piggy banks. Marry a child received his or her first coin bank accompanied by this wise advice. The modern-day piggy bank may have changed in sine, shape, and spelling, but it saves our pennies just as well as the first pygg did countries ago.

64. In the Middle ages, people used pygg to make dishes because ________.

A. it was precious                               B. it stood for wealth

C. it had a beautiful color                            D. it was cheaper than other materials

65. What do we know about the pygg bank?

A. Its name might come from an animal.                   B. The first pygg bank looked like a pig.

C. It was designed for children at the beginning.         D. The early piggy banks were easily damaged.

66. Why did pygg day lose its popularity?

A. Other cheap and solid materials appeared.     B. It was inconvenient to carry it to the market.

C. It couldn't be made into other shapes.          D. People had run out of this kind of material.

67. In the last paragraph, the author intends to tell us ________.

A. piggy banks nowadays are not practical          B. piggy banks still play a part in our daily lives

C. piggy banks today are mainly made of iron

D. most children don' t have the habit of saving money

A newspaper reporter’s job can be very interesting. He meets all types of people and lives quite a busy life. He is on the rush for news all the time, then after several years he may get a desk job, and life becomes a bit more settled. Let’s look at his work a little more closely. In a day he may have to interview the prime minister of a foreign country, and the next day he may be writing about a football match. Sometimes he may be so busy that he has hardly any time to sleep. And at other times he may go on for days looking out for news materials yet return empty-handed.

　　In the beginning, a reporter has to cover a very wide field. After the early years he becomes more specialized in his work. For example, he may finally be asked to write only on court cases or politics or sports. Some reporters may become so specialized that they are asked only to write on a special thing: horse racing, for example. In most newspaper houses there is at least one special racing correspondent. Some newspapers have book reviews. Their job is delightful. They read the latest book and then write reviews on the ones they like. Then there are those who write on films, so they get to see them even before they are shown in the cinema. How lucky, you would say!

　　A reporter’s job can also be very dangerous. A number of them have died rushing from one assignment to another, and if there is a flood or a riot(暴乱) they may get hurt or even be killed. Three years ago there was a reporter whose camera was smashed by a group of men, because they were angry with him for taking their picture. Dangerous or not, one thing is certain, and that is, their job is never dull!

1.What does the underlined phrase “on the rush” mean in the passage?

A．on the beach       B．on the spot        C．in a hurry         D．in no time

2.Reporters who write on films are said to be lucky because they _____.

A．can see more film stars

B．can see the films before most people see them in the cinema

C．can pay less than other people

D．can write anything they like

3.A reporter’s work becomes dangerous when _____.

A．there is an interview with the prime minister  B．there is a football match

C．he is seeing a horror film                  D．there is a flood or a riot

4.From the passage we can infer that, to be a good reporter, he must be all of the following except _____.

A．brave            B．quick in mind       C．strong            D．well-informed

C

WELCOME TO YOUR FREE ISH MEMBERSHIP

Your Membership

International Students House is a unique, cultural and recreational centre providing a wide programme of events for students 310 days a year.

Located in a fashionable and safe neighborhood, close to Regent's Park, ISH is a central place to meet students from Britain and around the world.

ISH provides all its members with the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of sports and hobbies in a friendly and fun environment. Many of the activities are free of charge as part of membership, while some charge a small fee.

Membership is open to all full-time students, professional trainees and student nurses.

LEARN

Lecture Series:

ISH organizes a number of lively, topical lectures of political and contemporary(同时代的) interest by famous speakers.

Language Classes

A variety of weekly language classes which in the past have included English, Spanish, Japanese and Italian.

ISH tries to offer as many development and educational programmes as possible for its members. Look out for additional workshops and leadership programmes. E--mail: learn @ish.org.uk.

CREATE

     Sunday Cinema:

     Films are shown every Sunday evening at 19∶30 including recent blockbusters(大片), theme nights and classics.

Classes:

Show your talents or learn from the beginning with our various classes and workshops which include Life Drawing, Photography, and Drama.

    Throughout the year ISH holds numerous exhibitions, recitals(公演) and performances put on by the students. To get more information, e-mail: create @ish.org.uk.

TRAVEL

Travel Club:

    The Travel Club runs a comprehensive (广泛的)schedule of day and weekend trips to British and European destinations. Students get the chance to explore new parts of the UK and meet people from all over the world. Sightseeing, canoeing, hiking, eating out, socializing and meeting local people are what you can expect to experience during the trips. E-mail: travel @ish.org.uk.

ACTIVE

    Classes:

    Try out our Martial Arts and Fitness Classes every week night including Kick Boxing, Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Shaolin as well as Yoga, and Aerobics classes. All our classes are run by qualified and professional instructors.

 Sports:

    Join in our recreational and team sports such as football, volleyball, running, table tennis, and chess.

ISH Dangerous Sports Club:

    We also organize such activities as go-karting, pain-balling and adventure weekends. E--mail: active @ish.org.uk.

64. If you are a member of ISH, you can do all the following except ______.

A. traveling to some European countries    B. attending all kinds of interesting lectures

C. attending French classes              D. meeting students from all around the world

65. If you want to see a painting exhibition held by ISH, _______.

A. you must pay a small amount of money   

B. you can't get some information through an e-mail

C. you can get a ticket free of charge        

D. you can e-mail: learn @ish.org.uk

66. If you want to learn to take photos, which of the following e-mail addresses is useful to you?

A. learn @ish.org.uk.  B. travel @ish.org.uk.  C. active @ish.org.uk.  D. create @ish.org.uk.

67. If you like some adventure on weekends, you'd better _______.

A. join ISH Dangerous Sports Club          B. join the Travel Club

C. go to Sunday Cinema                   D. take some Fitness Classes

（D）
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have．It’s likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen will have a washing machine and a microwave oven．Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need． You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week．
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for．Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world．They feel that the long-hour work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes．Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting_is one of them．
Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year．One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz．They used to work in central London．He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank．They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs （郊区）, leaving their two children with a nanny（保姆）．Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings．They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by．
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales．“I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift．It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it．We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays．However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier．”
Liz, however, is not quite sure．“I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours．I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals．One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children．My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all．”
68．What do the first two paragraphs tell us?
A．People seldom work long hours to make money．      
B．People hardly buy more things than necessary．
C．People are sure everything they own is in the right place．
D．People realize more is involved in life than just making money．
69．Daniel agrees that the move to the farm __________．
A．was easy to organize               B．has improved family life
C．was extremely expensive           D．has been a total success
70．The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph means ________．
A．repairing your car by yourself
B．spending money carefully
C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life
D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week

The day was warm and the sun shone down like a new beginning on my life. I was waving goodbye to my son, the last one of my fledglings （刚会飞的鸟）to leave home and go to new woods, "University actually" . I felt so lighthearted after spending many years looking after my four children—cooking, washing, ironing, teaching them how to look after themselves and manage their finances—that I actually thought “At long last, freedom".
But, as I watched my last one leave, although it was a joyous occasion, I realized I had not really prepared for this day, I was too tied up with bringing up these adults of the future to realize that they would all leave the nest and lives independently.
At first I didn't know what "I" wanted to do. I tried a part time job, which ended in me running out in tears. I started a business making soft furnishings, but that didn't work either.  I grew my own veggies and fruit, which lasted 3 years, until I was advised by my doctor that my feet couldn't take any more "tools” driven through them.
I began wondering if I had a future of my own. I cried for the life I was used to, and hadn't known or wanted anything different.
Then one day I saw an ad. for foster parents, I discussed it with my husband who was always behind everything I tried and with great disturbance , I rang up the number.
I now laugh and sing with my 14-year-old foster daughter, even when my cooker is a mess and my bathroom is a disaster area. I now know, 8 years later, what “I” was meant to be doing with all the spare hours, days, and weeks I had on my hands when my last fledgling flew the nest. The sun shines once again in my home.
【小题1】How did the mother first feel when her last child went off to university?