Is there a magic cutoff period when offspring become accountable for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators (旁观者) in the lives of their children and shrug, "It' s their life," and feel nothing?

When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital corridor waiting for doctors to put a few stitches in my son' s head. I was asked, "When do you stop worrying?" A nurse said, "When they get out of the accident stage." My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.

When I was in my thirties, I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked incessantly, disrupted (打断) the class, and was headed for a career making license plates. As if to read my mind, a teacher said, "Don't worry. They all go through this stage, and then you can sit back, relax, and enjoy them." My mother listened and said nothing.

When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring and the cars to come home, the front door to open.

My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life. I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted by my mother' s wan ( 淡淡的 ) smile and her occasional words, "You look pale. Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home."

Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry? Is concern for one another handed down like a torch to blaze the trail of human frailties and the fears of the unknown? Is concern a curse? Or is it a virtue that elevates us to the highest form of life?

One of my children became quite irritable recently, saying to me, "Where were you? I' ve been calling for three days, and no one answered. I was worried! ! !"

I smiled a wan smile.

1.What can we know about the author’s mother from the passage?

A. She seems to laugh at the author.        

B. She is not concerned about the author.

C. She has a thorough understanding of the author.     

D. She tries to give the author some encouragement.

2.What did the author do in her forties?

A. She was less concerned about her children.          

B. She couldn't stop worrying about her children.

C. She would like her children to see her often.        

D. She became more patient with her children.

3.Why did the author smile a wan smile at the end of the passage?

A. She wanted to learn from her mother.                

B. She stopped worrying about her children at last.

C. She succeeded in tricking her children.              

D. She got a kind of satisfaction from her child's concern.

4.The main purpose of the passage is to tell us that ______.

A. the concern between parents and children is natural

B. parents’ love for their children is selfless

C. parents show more concern for their children        

D. parents will worry about their children all their lives

Wearing ties (领带) was originally (最初) the mark of Britain’s most powerful classes, which made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted(采用) by a much larger group－the business group.

You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery (机械). So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used your brain to make a living, rather than your hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a professional (专业人员). It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take seriously a man who didn’t wear a piece of colored silk around his neck.

This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world. They are part of the uniform (制服) of business.

“Ties offer a point of indifference,” says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers, “They give a chance to say something about their own personality.”

So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly colored tie, there is a good chance that he is the office jobber. There is also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly colored socks.

Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Tie wearing seems to be rare among the new brands of entrepreneurs (创业者) in the Internet and new technology Industries. Many political leaders, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties. This shows they are men of the people－but not the people wearing ties.

It was common for men across the western world to wear hats as part of their business uniform up until around 1960. That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat－in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”. Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps “tieless Tony” (former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) will have the same effect as “hatless Jack”.

56.In Britain, ties were first used as a sign to show a person’s       .

         A. personality  B. social position      C. wearing style       D. favorite hobby

57.The underlined word “vanished” in this passage may mean        .

         A. sold      B. washed        C. appeared     D. disappeared

58.The writer may hold the opinion that       .

         A. Blair is the best leader in the world

         B. Kennedy is the best leader in the world

         C. millions of people will go to work without a tie

         D. people will wear hats instead of ties

59Which of the following statements is TURE according to the passage?

         A. If you are a professional, you can’t wear a tie in Britain.

         B. The tie will become more fashionable and popular in the future.

         C. It was the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States that changed the fact that wearing hats as part of their business uniform.

         D. Men across the western world didn’t wear hats as part of their business uniform until around 1960.

60..From the last paragraph we know that ___________.

Wearing ties remains very popular with powerful men in the world.

It is possible that wearing ties will not be fashionable in the future.

Wearing ties shows a man’s social identification, so it is likely that people, especially men around the world still will have to follow this fashion.

It will be inconvenient for people to wear ties and hats at work.

In the United States you will find yourself being urged from every page of every newspaper and every television station to buy all kinds of goods.

Not only is there a wide range of prices for goods in America, there is also a wide range in the quality of goods offered for sale. Unlike some countries, Americans generally pay the price of a product without question, instead of trying to get a lower price by bargaining. However, there are many “sales” in the United States, during which time stores will lower their normal prices. This may all be very confusing to visitors. How are you going to know how to “get your money’s worth” when you shop? Perhaps the best advice is: Don’t hurry. Visit various stores and determine the quality of goods. Read the advertisements so that you can compare prices.

There is a great variety of shops in the United States, ranging from very large stores called “department stores” to very small shops. There are “discount houses” offering goods at low prices, and “dime stores” specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items.

Most department stores in large cities carry better quality products at higher prices. However, they offer the shoppers great convenience since they contain such a wide variety of products.

If convenience isn’t as important to you as price, you may want to shop in discount houses. These stores have nearly as great a variety of goods as department stores, but offer lower prices. They can do so for several reasons. They don’t offer the same services to buyers that department stores do; there may be fewer sales people; and the store probably doesn’t deliver purchases.

Another popular shop is the “dime store”. No longer selling many things for five or ten cents, these stores got their name in the last century when it was decided that a small profit on a great quantity of goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. Dime stores specialize in a wide variety of inexpensive items and today, prices range from a quarter or 50 cents up to several dollars.

1.Where can we most probably read this passage?

A. In a research paper.       B. In a science report.

C. In a geography book.      D. In a travel magazine.

2.Why can discount houses offer goods at lower prices compared with department stores?

a. They have fewer employees.

b. They have larger quantities of goods.

c. They offer fewer services.

d. They don’t provide delivery service.

A. a b c    B. a b d   C. a c d    D. b c d

3.What’s special about dime stores?

A. They sell lots of goods at a small profit.

B. They make big profits by selling some goods.

C. They provide goods with a price lower than 50 cents.

D. They provide goods ranging from bargains to expensive ones.

.

根据短文内容，从下框的A—F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

阅读表达（每小题2分，满分10分）

Walking is a popular form of exercises. It is an easy activity and offers a good way to improve physical fitness. Walking also gives many of the same benefits as other kinds of exercises.

Regular, brisk（轻快地）walks helps a person’s body work better. Walking builds a stronger heart and lungs. The heart pumps blood through the body. It gets more rest between beats. Walking also seems to help protect the heart from heart diseases. Walking can help lose weight, too. What’s more, walking causes very few injuries, which is why there is a lower “dropout” rate among walkers than among runners. People are more likely to continue a walking program. This gives a better chance for success.

Walking offers some mental benefits, too. It seems to make people feel better. Many walkers say they sleep better at night when they take regular walks. Others say they have a better attitude about life.

Walking offers many of the same physical and mental benefits as other forms of exercise, but walking offers some special advantages, too.

★ Almost everyone can walk. There are no special lessons of coaching. To become a serious walker, a person only needs to walk faster, farther and more often.

★ People can walk almost anywhere. There are no special playing fields or courts for walking. Sidewalks, streets, parks, fields and malls are excellent places for walking.

★ People can walk almost anytime. A person doesn’t need a team or a partner for walking. There is no “season” for walking. Most walkers walk in all kinds of weather.

Walking offers a form of exercise within the reach of nearly everyone. With a little time and effort, people can rediscover a valuable form of exercise and improve their fitness.

1. What’s the best title of the passage?（within 10 words）

__________________________________________________________________________

2.Please explain the underlined word “dropout” with proper words or phrases.（within 5 words）

__________________________________________________________________________

3.Why is there a lower dropout rate among walkers than among runners? （within 10 words）

__________________________________________________________________________

4. How can people become a more serious walker? (within 10 words)

__________________________________________________________________________

5. Which do you prefer, walking or jogging? Why? (within 15 words)

__________________________________________________________________________