D

Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today? Many people wrongly believe that when people reach old age, their families place them in nursing homes. They are left there in the hands of strangers for the rest of their lives. Their grown-up children visit them only occasionally, but more often, they do not have any regular visitors. Actually this is not true. In fact, family members provide over 80 percent of the care that elderly people need.

Prof. Samuel Preston, a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family is changing. He reported that by the time the average American couple reaches 40 years of age, they have more parents than children. This statistic (统计) shows the change in life-styles and responsibilities of aging Americans. The average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elderly parents some time after their own children have grown up. Moreover, because people today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members must provide long-term care. These facts also mean that after care-givers provide for their elderly parents, who will eventually die, they will be old and may require care too. When they do, their spouses (配偶, 指夫或妻) will probably take care of them.

Because Americans are living longer than ever, more psychologists and social workers have begun to study care-giving to improve care of the elderly. They have found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: all caregivers believe that they are the best person for the job, for different reasons. One caregiver said that she had always been close to her mother. Another was the oldest child. In other words, they all felt that they could do the job better than anyone else. Social workers interviewed caregivers to find out why they took on the responsibility of caring for an elderly, dependent relative. They discovered three basic reasons. Many caregivers believed that they had the responsibility to help their relatives. Some stated that helping others made them feel more useful. Others hoped that by helping someone now, they would deserve care when they became old and dependent.

（   ）68. It can be inferred that a middle-aged couple in the US _______.

A. spend more time with their children than with their parents

B. depend on their children’s assistance in caring for the elderly

C. don’t pay more attention to their children than to their parents

D. spend more time taking care of their parents than before

（   ）69. The most common characteristic of caregivers is ______.

A. they all have professional qualifications in care-giving

B. they all believe themselves to be the best caregiver

C. they are the eldest child in the family

D. they are close to their parents

（   ）70. Which of the following is NOT a basic reason for care-giving?

A. Respect from other members of the family.

B. Prepayment for the care they will get in old age.

C. A feeling of being needed and helpful.

D. A strong sense of duty to the elderly.

（   ）71. What is the main idea of this passage?

           A. Most old people in the US are living a happy life.

           B. Most old people in the US live longer today after an illness than people did years ago.

           C. Most elderly people in the US are taken care of by their families, who often find the experience satisfying.

           D. Most elderly people in the US prefer living with their families to living nursing houses.

A

They may make us scared, but somehow we just can’t get enough of our favorite monsters．From literature to movies, TV shows to Halloween（万圣节） costumes（服装）, we want more of these blood-drinking, walking-dead, scary creatures!

       Here’s a look at a few of them．

       Mummy（木乃伊）: All you’ll need is a generous supply of toilet paper of make this instantly recognizable costume．The concept of mummies dates back thousands of years and across many cultures．Mummies are constantly seen in books, movies, and of course, on every Halloween night．

       Werewolf（狼人）: The werewolf is known for its superhuman strength and shape-shifting powers．Examples of the werewolf date back to ancient Greek and Roman stories, which were about humans changing into animals and animals changing into humans．With television shows and movies, werewolves are once again having a strong influence on popular culture．

       Frankenstein: Mary Shelley created the monster in her 1818 novel．Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who is curious about life and death, uses different body parts to create his works．Shocked by his new scientific creation, however, Victor ran away, leaving the creature to leave the laboratory and go out into the human world．Whether in books, movies, or onstage, this monster is still a costume favorite for people of all ages．

       Zombie（僵尸）: Halloween activities would incomplete without zombies to really give people a fright．The zombie earned its title as one of Halloween’s most terrifying creatures after popular films．Zombies still frighten audiences as undead monsters that return to feast on the living．

       Dracula（德拉库拉）: This classic vampire（吸血鬼） has terrified audiences for decades, but first appeared as a character in Irish writer Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel．In horror films, Dracula remains the most popular character．He is known for his pale skin, sharp teeth, red lips and son on．

66．According to the article, monsters ______．

       A．are scary but at the same time fascinating

       B．provide excitement for people who lead dull lives

       C．are mysterious and have supernatural powers

       D．can change into humans

67．Which of the following statements about monster costume is TRUE according to the article?

       A．A zombie costume is the choice costume of people celebrating Halloween．

       B．A mummy costume is easy to make and can be immediately recognized．

       C．Frankenstein’s monster is losing appeal（吸引力） among some people．

       D．Because of its uniqueness, the Dracula costume is the most popular for Halloween．

68．We can conclude that ______．

       A．Dracula is the only monster who first appeared in a book

       B．mummies may come back to life in the future

       C．Victor Frankenstein was finally able to get his monster under control

       D．Frankenstein’s monster was created using different body parts

69．What would be the best title for the passage?

       A．Monster Halloween Costumes

       B．Monsters and Halloween

       C．Monsters Loved by people

       D．How Monsters Scare People

A mum saved her daughter’s life with her newly learned first aid skills. Sonya Hall, 33, of Denny Avenue, Lancaster, had only just attended one first aid class the day before when she found herself needing to use the skills on her three year old daughter Tilly.
Sonya, who also has son Emmen, six, attended the first aid course at Lune Park Children’s Centre in Lancaster. Then she was faced with every parent’s worst nightmare when Tilly went blue in the face and stopped breathing. But thanks to her newly acquired skills, Sonya saved Tilly’s life.
Sonya said: “Tilly was playing with her brother and they were fighting over a toy. Emmen won the fight. Tilly fell backwards and her head was hit. She was face down and shaking and at first I thought she was upset. But then I saw she was blue in the face and had stopped breathing. I reacted without thinking and immediately started using the first aid skills I had learned the day before which were so fresh in my mind. I began doing mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions (胸外按压). It probably took about a minute before Tilly started breathing again, but to me it felt like a lifetime.”
After getting Tilly breathing again, Sonya called an ambulance and the doctors came. Since then, Tilly has been diagnosed (诊断) with Reflex Anoxic Seizure (反射缺氧发作). Sonya said: “The seizure can happen when there’s any unexpected pain, fear or fright. It is just so lucky that the day before it happened, I had been practising first aid.”
The Empowering Parents First Aid course is run by Lancashire Adult Learning. Sonya said: “I am just so glad I did the course and learnt the first aid skills. I always feared I would not know what to do in a crisis situation, but luckily I had the knowledge and skills to deal with it.” 

1. 1.

   What happened to Tilly?

   1. A.
      She was knocked down by her brother.
   2. B.
      She fell on the floor and hit her head.
   3. C.
      She was hit by a toy on the head and felt upset.
   4. D.
      She was hit by her brother and stopped breathing.
2. 2.

   When Sonya found Tilly’s shaking, she thought her daughter must ______.

   1. A.
      be crying
   2. B.
      be very angry
   3. C.
      pretend to be hurt
   4. D.
      recognize her failure
3. 3.

   When Sonya goes to the first aid class next time, she will feel ______.

   1. A.
      enjoyable
   2. B.
      excited
   3. C.
      grateful
   4. D.
      confident
4. 4.

   What would be the best title for the text?  

   1. A.
      The importance of first aid
   2. B.
      How to practise first aid
   3. C.
      Mum saves girl with first aid
   4. D.
      Mums should attend first aid courses

A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books.

In history books, objective (客观的) information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly “political” artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May, 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its abuse of power over people.

In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art had been almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that described people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand the Bible stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast (对比), one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that statues are not holy.

Which of the following statements has the closest meaning to the underlined sentence?

A. General history only focuses on politics.

B. Art history shows us nothing but the political values.

C. General history concerns only religious beliefs, emotions and psychology.

D. Art history gives us an insight (洞察力) into the essential qualities of a time and a place.

Art is subjective in that __________. 

A. it can easily arouse people’s anger about their government

B. it only reflects people’s anger or sadness about social problems.

C. a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it.

D. artists were or are religious, who reflect only the religious aspect of the society.

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? 

A. Francisco Goya expressed his religious belief in his painting.

B. In history books political views of people are entirely presented.

C. For centuries in Europe, painters had only painted on walls of churches.

D. In the Middle East, you can hardly find animal or human figures on church walls.

What’s the main topic of the passage?   

A. The development of art history.   

B. What we can learn from art.

C. The influence of artists on art history.

D. The difference between general history and art history.

They like using the Internet．They have lots of pocket money to spend．And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us．Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy－games, CDs and clothing－are easily sold on the Web.

But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards．Most have to use a parent’s card．They want a facility that allows them to spend money.

That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic．If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.

In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK．Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school－88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK．According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online－mainly CDs and books.

In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children．Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street．They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.

One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercast is through prepaid cards such as Internet Cash in the US and Smart cards in the UK．Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.

What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?

       A．Sellers.     B．Buyers.     C．Teenagers.       D．Parents.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

       A．More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access．

       B．Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.

       C．Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.

       D．Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.

A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use ______.

       A．a new machine B．special coins and notes

       C．prepaid cards    D．pay-as-you-go mobile phones

What is the passage mainly about?

       A．Online shopping traps.        B．Internet users in the US and the UK.

       C．New credit cards for parents.  D．The arrival of cyber pocket money.