English is ___ useful language.

A. a  B. an    C. the      D,/

English is ___ useful language.

A. a  B. an    C. the     D. /

C

The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children．On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special．

However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington．A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon（布道）in 1909．Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her．It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man．Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910．

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day．Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died．

When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card．Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental（感伤的）．Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them．Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad．

64．The United States is special in Father’s Day because ______．

      A．many people celebrate the day           B．only America celebrates the day

      C．America makes it an official day  D．all men are honored in America

65．At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______．

      A．Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday

      B．Sonora’s birthday was June 19

      C．it was decided by the president at that time

      D．her mother died on June 19

66．How many years had passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?

      A．4          B．10      C．14        D．24

67．According to the passage, on Father’s Day,  ______．

      A．people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers

      B．only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers

      C．children must go home to honor their fathers

      D．fathers are often honored in different ways

68．According to the passage, we can infer that Henry Jackson Smart ______．

      A．was very kind to anyone       B．did a lot for his daughter

      C．was the first father honored in 1924     D．always help others by giving money

(B)
An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to (归因于) the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first –year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done,” he added.
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector(部门)，which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
50.Professor John Beath’s lectures are_____.
A.given in a traditional way    B. connected with the present situation
C.open to both students and their parents D.warmly received by economists
51.Careers in the public sector are more attractive because of their_____.
A. greater stability B.higher pay C.fewer applications D.better reputation
52.According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters_____
A. wiser in money management   B.have access to better equipment
C.confident about their future careers   D.get jobs in Child Trust Funds
53.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Universities have received more applications.
B. Economics is attracting an increasing number of students.
College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty.
Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.

C
The financial climate, the job market, family tensions, Obama moving into the Lincoln bedroom. Even the climate's getting in on the list. Yup, change is everywhere in 2009. If you're not careful, all kinds of strange things might happen in your otherwise ordered life, so it's best to work at avoiding change whenever it rears its head(出现).
Here are 5 ways to do just that:

1．Ignore any opportunities How many times have you taken a chance, only for things to go wrong? How many times have you seized an opportunity only/'or it to slip between your fingers? There's always another mess waiting for you, so it's better to stay right where you are. Where you are right now is a known quantity－it's safe, warm and comfortable. Doesn't that sound better than going out there, messing up and looking stupid?

2．Set your expectations low If you're one of the people out there looking to make a change in 2009 rather than having change made for you, you'd better set your expectations low.

3．Keep on running and don't look back The best thing to do is to set things out so that you can do everything. It's good to be busy and running around after everyone else will mean that everyone's happy and there's no room for change to happen. It's a win－win!

4．Recognize that most changes are too big Face it; there are some tasks you're just not up to. Landing that exciting new job, getting a promotion, taking on the 'big project' or building a relationship that really works－these are all big challenges and you don't want to bite off more than you can chew.

5．Ignore that little voice inside You might sometimes hear a little voice in your head that tells you you're not happy or that something has to change. This little trouble maker can speak up at any time and throw the Spanner of Confusion in the works, and it has only one thing on its mind－to take you out of your comfort zone and make you change.